Aaron Rodgers’ ex-teammate echoes RFK Jr. sentiment amid Joe Rogan podcast controversy surrounding vaccines
Green Bay Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari weighed in on the Robert Kennedy Jr., Joe Rogan, and Professor Peter Hotez controversy that took over Twitter. RFK Jr., a Democratic presidential candidate, made an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience and linked vaccines to autism.
Prof. Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, took issue with RFK Jr.'s claims and criticized Rogan on Twitter for giving him the platform to share dangerous rhetoric:
Spotify Has Stopped Even Sort of Trying to Stem Joe Rogan’s Vaccine Misinformation. It’s really true @annamerlan just awful. And from all the online attacks I’m receiving after this absurd podcast, it’s clear many actually believe this nonsense vice.com/en/article/k7z…
Rogan took offense to Prof. Hotez's criticism and challenged him to debate RJK Jr. on his podcast:
"Peter, if you claim what RFK Jr. is saying is “misinformation”. I am offering you $100,000 to the charity of your choice if you’re willing to debate him on my show with no time limit."
Prof. Hotez initially responded with a mean-spirited tweet before declining the opportunity to debate RFK Jr.:
Yes Joe I thought it was over the top, unnecessarily provocative, so I took it down right away. But I’ve been hurt by the public/untrue statements you/guests have made about me being a pharma shill, when all I do is make vaccines for the world’s poor. I don’t take BigPharma money twitter.com/joerogan/statu…
Rogan doubled down and challenged Prof. Hotez's authority, tweeting:
"This is a non answer. I challenged you publicly because you publicly quote tweeted and agreed with that dogsh*t vice article. If you’re really serious about what you stand for, you now have a massive opportunity for a debate that will reach the largest audience a discussion like this has ever had. If you think someone else is better qualified, suggest that person."
Twitter CEO Elon Musk also chimed in on the controversy, writing:
"He’s afraid of a public debate, because he knows he’s wrong"
@joerogan He’s afraid of a public debate, because he knows he’s wrong
The debate surrounding the subject has raged on over the past three days, with many siding with Prof. Hotez and others arguing he should debate RFK on Joe Rogan's podcast if he believes he's right.
David Bakhtiari sides with Joe Rogan on vaccine discourse
Bakhtiari hinted at which side of the argument he falls on. The Packers offensive lineman liked a tweet from Rogan addressed to Prof. Hotez, which read:
"Again, I’m going to ask you very clearly, are you willing to debate Robert Kennedy Jr. on my podcast?"
Again, I’m going to ask you very clearly, are you willing to debate @RobertKennedyJr on my podcast? twitter.com/peterhotez/sta…
Bakhtiari also asked his followers about their opinion on RFK Jr.:
I’m curious. For those who follow me: What is y’alls perception of @RobertKennedyJr?? All viewpoints are preferred.
He asked fans that dismissed RFK Jr. why they reached that conclusion:
What made you come to this conclusion? twitter.com/davidruttenbur…
What made you come to this conclusion? twitter.com/ulyssesl12/sta…
@MichaelOszuscik @RobertKennedyJr What did he say or do that makes you dub him “nuts”?
It's unclear whether David Bakhtiari is siding with Prof. Hotez or RFK Jr. But it's evident that he wants to see the two debate the subject on Joe Rogan's podcast.