'Big' John McCarthy defends Joe Rogan in lengthy tweet amid Robert F. Kennedy Jr. backlash: "He is entitled to speak up"
Former MMA referee 'Big' John McCarthy recently defended Joe Rogan following the latter's remarks about Robert F. Kennedy, which drew harsh criticism from many. McCarthy claimed that the UFC commentator does not exhibit partiality toward the people he speaks with and is entitled to his viewpoint.
The criticism originated from an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), where Rogan talked about vaccines and Kennedy Jr.'s book, which provided insight into the pandemic. Following the incident, several right-wing political accounts criticized the 56-year-old and claimed that his remarks supported Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy for president of the United States.
Former US President Donald Trump took to social media and gave his thoughts on Rogan's statement. The 2024 US presidential candidate stated that he anticipates Rogan's remarks will cause him to be "booed" at his next UFC event, writing:
"It will be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED the next time he enters the UFC ring??? MAGA 2024."
However, McCarthy came out in favor of Rogan. In a lengthy post on X, the 61-year-old wrote:
''It’s crazy that every year it seems I come onto this platform to defend my friend @joerogan….People why is it this man cannot have his own opinion? He is the greatest communicator of all sides . He does not show bias when he interviews people be they right, left or somewhere in the middle. He allows them to verbalize their opinions and then asks solid questions both in favor of what they have stated and many times against... He knows both RFK jr. and Donald Trump. He is entitled to speak up for either of them and has done so quite often...If Joe wants to endorse someone don’t be upset because he has a bigger platform then you do and feel he could sway people.''
Ben Askeren reacts to Donald Trump criticizing Joe Rogan
Donald Trump recently took a jab at Joe Rogan following the UFC commentator's remarks about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his podcast. Although Rogan did not directly support the independent presidential candidate, he praised Kennedy Jr.'s personality and intelligence.
However, Ben Askren was not pleased with Trump's harsh attitude towards Rogan. The former ONE and Bellator champion recently took to X and issued a two-word response to the former US president, writing:
''So dumb''