"I'm an idiot" - When host Sage Steele gave hilarious explanation about confusing Dana White for Joe Rogan on live TV
American TV personality Sage Steele and UFC head honcho Dana White piqued the interest of fans with a rather hilarious mid-conversation gaffe. Steele mistakenly referred to White as Joe Rogan. The 51-year-old immediately corrected herself. Additionally, she later explained why she'd briefly confused White with Rogan.
Steele is a veteran television anchor who was a part of ESPN for around 16 years until her much-discussed departure from the organization in 2023. She hosted White on 'The Sage Steele Show' in March 2024, and the duo spoke about various topics.
During the 2:00-minute mark and the 1:19:12-minute mark of the podcast, Steele referred to White by Joe Rogan's name. In the second instance, White acknowledged it and jestingly pointed it out.
Watch Steele confuse White with Rogan below (1:19:12):
Speaking to Greg Gutfeld, Sage Steele later addressed the mix-up. Steele indicated that she mixed up the UFC CEO Dana White with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, as they both work for the UFC. Steele stated:
"Because why? Because they work together with UFC. And because when the show began, at the beginning, Dana came in drinking a drink, and I said, 'What is that?' He's like, 'It's Joe Rogan's drink.' Like, that happened an hour and 20 minutes into my podcast."
The others appeared to jestingly suggest that White and Rogan surely look alike. Sage lightheartedly replied by saying:
"They do look alike. And, oh, by the way, I have three kids. I've had three kids. The youngest is almost 18. I call them different names. I'm like, 'Quinn.' Then, like, you scr*w it up. Was the timing good? No. However -- and I was -- and he did, he flew in from Vegas, literally, just to do my show and flew back. However, yes, thank you. I could have edited it out. And I kept it in because I'm an idiot. Why not? You got to make fun of yourself."
Check out Steele's comments below:
Dana White and Joe Rogan's funny reactions to Sage Steele's gaffe
After realizing that Sage Steele had erroneously called him Joe Rogan, Dana White laughed and questioned her whether she'd really confused him with Rogan. He further explained that a lot of people end up confusing him with Rogan and Canadian celebrity Howie Mandel. An excerpt from White's comments reads as follows:
"I was bald before Joe was ever bald."
Watch White's reaction below:
Furthermore, Joe Rogan, too, had a lighthearted reaction to the incident. While promoting his comedy shows, Rogan utilized a photograph of Dana White in the post made via his official Instagram handle. Over the years, Rogan and White have become closely associated with the UFC brand. Rogan notably excused Steele and commended the manner in which she handled it.