UFC star hails "old friend" Joe Rogan seemingly prioritizing "truth over money" as internet historian with controversial WW2 takes reveals JRE invite
A former UFC fighter has heaped praise on Joe Rogan for supposedly prioritizing "truth over money" by way of a podcast invite to a polarizing internet historian. Additionally, the veteran MMA combatant notably referred to Rogan as an old friend.
The fighter in question is none other than former UFC welterweight title challenger, Jake Shields. On the other hand, the internet historian in this case is Darryl Cooper. Both Shields and Cooper have long faced accusations of perpetuating conspiracy theories and allegedly enforcing discriminatory socio-political narratives.
Shields has consistently elicited condemnation for purportedly making incendiary assertions about various sections of society, including jibes at the LGBTQ community and against Jewish people.
Also, Cooper himself has been accused of promoting antisemitic narratives. In 2024, Cooper's conversation with U.S. media personality Tucker Carlson sparked a sharp backlash from many observers. It even drew condemnation from some House Democrats who indicated that Cooper was engaging in denialism of the Nazi-helmed Holocaust and hurting the Jewish community.
Given the variables at play, a number of netizens consider Shields and Cooper to be controversial public personalities. Their detractors warn that either of them appearing on a world-renowned show -- like the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast -- could potentially be dangerous because such major platforms would help them further their narratives.
Well, in a recent post on his Martyr Made Podcast Substack account, Darryl Cooper suggested that he'd received an invite to the JRE podcast and would be traveling to Austin. For context, Rogan generally records his podcast episodes in a studio at his residence in Austin, Texas. Excerpts from Cooper's Substack post read as follows:
"Quick update: I've got a wedding to attend this weekend, and from there I'm going to Austin to do the Joe Rogan Experience. So I'll be busy the next couple days ..."
In an X post, Jake Shields posted an image from Cooper's aforementioned Substack post. Seemingly lauding Rogan for inviting Cooper to the JRE podcast, Shields wrote:
"Its nice seeing my old friend Joe Rogan has decided to go with truth over money."
Jake Shields jibed at Joe Rogan over his criticism of antisemitic conspiracy theories in America
On episode #2224 of his JRE podcast in 2024, Joe Rogan hosted fellow American comedian Tim Dillon and discussed various topics. The UFC commentator seemed to suggest that their nation was being undermined by antisemitic conspiracy theories and an extreme obsession with gender. Rogan deemed the two aforementioned problems as omens of a "collapsing civilization."
Jake Shields took to X and posted a clip from Rogan's assessment. The ex-UFC fighter proceeded to jibe at Rogan for calling out the deemed antisemitic conspiracy theories in the United States of America. Alluding to the existence of various Jewish organizations in the U.S., Shields seemed to sarcastically second the podcast mogul's take:
"It's nice seeing Joe Rogan call out these crazy antisemites who think Jews are controlling America ... Jewish organizations like AIPAC, the ADL, Jewish Congress, HIAS, JLC, Jewish Federation, JCPA, ADC, etc are here for the greater good of society."
Check out Jake Shields' comments, and footage of Rogan's assessment, in Shields' X post below: