Joe Rogan billed 'bigger than Larry King' by Bill Maher
Bill Maher has expressed his appreciation for fellow American comedian Joe Rogan.
Maher notably compared Rogan to Larry King, a legendary talk show host. King, who passed away in January 2021 aged 87, is heralded amongst the greatest talk show hosts in the socio-political realm, particularly in the United States of America.
He was best known for the Larry King Show, a radio talk show that he hosted. It was broadcast in the US from January 1978 to May 1994. In a recent edition of his Club Random with Bill Maher podcast, Bill Maher suggested that Joe Rogan is the Larry King of today, adding that Rogan is perhaps even bigger than King.
As reported by Mediaite, the podcast episode featured Bill Maher speaking to comedian Kathy Griffin regarding the late Larry King. Griffin opined that there's no show like the one Larry King hosted anymore. She indicated that journalist and political commentator Anderson Cooper could've taken over King's role in regards to hosting a similar talk show.
Check out Maher's podcast episode below:
On the other hand, Bill Maher noted that MMA personality and podcast mogul Joe Rogan is the Larry King of his generation. Griffin chimed in by highlighting that King often put forth softball interviews, where he wouldn't challenge his guests on their opinions.
Maher, for his part, acknowledged that Rogan too does the same. Nevertheless, he lauded Rogan for being open-minded and giving a platform even to controversial public personalities whom the establishment (the social and political bigwigs) want de-platformed.
Griffin appeared to suggest that Rogan too is likely a part of the 'establishment'. Regardless, Maher implied that Rogan, who hosts the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast, has earned his status as the world's top podcaster.
He emphasized that just like Larry King did, Rogan provides a myriad of guests a platform to speak and the freedom to speak their minds. Maher stated:
“I would argue that Joe Rogan is not like Larry King, but it’s — every generation has its own iteration of that. And certainly there are differences, but huge audience. Bigger than Larry King ever was.
"I would say he is our generation’s Larry King in the same way that there was [Johnny] Carson and then [David] Letterman, [Jay] Leno, and then it moved to [Jimmy] Fallon. I mean, it was the… that show has evolved quite a bit."
When Joe Rogan discussed Bill Maher's political significance with him on the JRE podcast
On his weekly talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Maher is known to put forth his opinions regarding current affairs, politics, and more, with a comedic element.
The popular talk show host appeared on Joe Rogan's JRE podcast in 2022 and was praised by the UFC commentator for being a true "liberal" in America's current politically-polarized society.
Apart from being a longtime MMA analyst, Rogan is also widely revered as a vocal advocate for freedom of speech. Speaking of which, the MMA personality lauded Bill Maher for being a rare breed in today's socio-political landscape of the US.
Joe Rogan revealed that the people whom he truly views and respects as left-wingers are those like Bill Maher, who are liberal and open to discussion as opposed to de-platforming. Rogan said:
"People like you are very important to people like me. Because you represent what it means to me to be liberal. What it means to me to be left-wing, because you're just a normal person who cares about people's rights and wants a certain amount of freedom."
Watch Rogan and Maher's discussion below: