Joe Rogan Hits Back At Chappelle Critics: ‘Ideas That You Can’t Make Fun Of Are Dangerous’

Comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan defended fellow comedian Dave Chappelle on Tuesday, warning that “ideas that you can’t make fun of are dangerous.”

Chappelle has been shellacked in the media and from progressives over jokes he made in his latest stand-up special for Netflix, “The Closer.” Chappelle’s jokes about transgender people and his support for “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling and “Team TERF” arguably sparked the most backlash against the host, though he mocked a number of different people groups throughout the special.

Rogan defended Chappelle, whom Rogan said was a friend, on the latest episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Rogan was interviewing podcaster Michael Malice.

“He’s just, you know, riding out the storm,” Rogan said of Chappelle, according to Complex. “He’s not a homophobic or transphobic person. He makes fun of himself. There’s a bit in that special about him getting molested and jerking off on a man’s face or cumming in a man’s face. Look, it’s fun. It’s just making jokes. That doesn’t mean hate. This is the problem with today: if you don’t have an enemy, you make an enemy. And this is a real problem with people. We look for things.”

Rogan then warned against coming after comedians over the topics they choose to joke about, saying, “these ideas that you can’t make fun of are dangerous.”

“They’re not good for anybody. They’re not good for the people who hold those ideas. Whether it’s about who you are or what you do, the idea that no fun can be had about any of this is crazy because the idea is that then all fun is done maliciously and out of hate. And we know as friends that is just not true,” he continued.

Rogan also complimented Chappelle and told of what he knows about Chappelle personally. He also criticized those who feel like they are in a “protected class” and should receive a pass from comics because of their identity.

“If you get down to Dave Chappelle’s real feelings, he’s a lovely person,” the podcaster said. “He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. He loves everybody. He’s not a hateful soul. He’s beyond jealous. He’s just a guy who loves this art form called stand-up comedy and he tries to do his best navigating this world of talking s*** about things and saying outrageous things that get huge laughs, or placating really sensitive groups that feel like