Why did Joe Rogan move to Texas?

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Joe Rogan with Texas governor Greg Abbott [Photo credit: @GregAbbott_TX on Twitter]

UFC commentator Joe Rogan apparently decided to move from Los Angeles, California, to Texas as a safety measure amid the rising cases of COVID-19 in the US. He mentioned in a July 2020 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast that LA has become too crowded, and that's what prompted him to take up residence in the Lone Star State.

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“Most of the time [overpopulation is] not a problem, but I think it’s a real issue, when you look at the number of people that are catching COVID.”

Joe Rogan added that he was looking for a bit more freedom as he found California's protocols in response to the pandemic a little too restrictive. In a June episode of his podcast with comedian Bill Burr, Rogan spoke out about some of California's regulations, especially the locking down of establishments.

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“Somebody’s gotta step in and stop them from doing that,” Rogand said. “Lock down old people and sick people. Let regular people do whatever the f*** they want. You can’t just lock people’s freedom down for something that killed a small fraction of what you thought it was going to kill.”

However, it appears Rogan didn't go for a drastic change in scenery as he picked the Texas city that resembles LA the most: Austin. Last August, the comedian and combat sports commentator confirmed that he had settled in by posting a picture of his new studio on Instagram.

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Joe Rogan's deal with Spotify

Joe Rogan has emerged as one of the most prominent figures in pop culture due to his podcast. A who's who of significant personalities from sports, science, music, film, and politics have previously guested on his show.

Mike Tyson, Elon Musk, Quentin Tarantino, and Bernie Sanders are some of Rogan's most prominent guests. Several UFC superstars like Georges St-Pierre, Israel Adesanya, and Dustin Poirier have also been to Rogan's show.

Last May, Rogan announced that his acclaimed podcast was going to become a Spotify exclusive. The exclusive deal with the audio streaming and media company reportedly earned Rogan $100 million.

Read here: Things you need to know about Joe Rogan's wife

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