Gov. Gavin Newsom hammered podcaster Joe Rogan Tuesday night, blasting his recent interview with Vice President JD Vance as a three-hour "safe space" and accusing Rogan of being "too chicken" to have the California Democrat on the show.
Rogan and Vance’s lengthy interview, released last week, saw the two discuss their grievances with California for “nearly 20 minutes.” Vance compared Los Angeles with a “third world country,” and Rogan questioned the integrity of the recent Los Angeles election in a manner echoing President Donald Trump’s claims, despite there being no evidence of voter fraud in the race.
This spurred Newsom to issue a dare.
“Joe Rogan is too chicken to have me on – so he and JD Vance spent three hours in their California Derangement Syndrome safe space,” Newsom wrote in a social media post on X Tuesday night to his more than 3 million followers. “How cute!”
Rogan has played an outsized role in American politics, endorsing libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul in 2012 and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in 2020. In the 2024 race, Rogan ultimately endorsed Trump, which analysts have assessed as being impactful in helping the president secure support from swing voters and young males.
Newsom was criticized by both Vance and Rogan in their interview published last week. Rogan accused Newsom of being “full of s---,” and Vance blasted the California governor as “bizarre.”
Newsom has never appeared as a guest on Rogan’s podcast, known as “The Joe Rogan Experience,” and Rogan has yet to respond to Newsom’s accusation that he’s “too chicken” to host him on the program.
Joe Rogan is too chicken to have me on — so he and JD Vance spent three hours in their California Derangement Syndrome safe space.
How cute! https://t.co/HUyWPj6mBa
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 22, 2026