Joe Rogan Defends ‘Very Odd’ Friend Tucker Carlson: ‘He’s Not a Bad Guy’

Screenshot via Joe Rogan Experience YouTube

In a five hour-plus podcast, Joe Rogan turned to defending friend Tucker Carlson from critics, describing the former Fox News host as “very odd,” but “not a bad guy.”

On The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan was joined by comedians Shane Gillis, Ari Shaffir, and Mark Normand. At one point the stream-of-consciousness conversation turned to a 2013 video of Carlson fishing in New York City’s Central Park when a man confronts him about it. Carlson insists to the man what he’s doing is perfectly legal and the two end up having a friendly exchange.

Schaffir noted that Carlson came across “nice” in the video despite his controversial reputation. After recalling taking Carlson to his Comedy Mothership comedy club in Austin, Texas, Rogan defended him against his critics, insisting the media pundit is far more normal than most realize.

“He’s not a bad guy, man, he’s not. I hung out with the dude. I met him a couple of times,” Rogan said.

“He went on the road with the [Grateful] Dead and followed them around,” Schaffir noted.

“He was a Grateful Dead-head,” Rogan responded.

“They get a bad idea about all these people,” Schaffir said.

“He’s in the fucking belly of the beast, and he recognizes it,” Rogan said about Carlson.

Rogan noted his friend is “very odd,” but a “good dude.” Schaffir joked he’s the “most Canadian American there is” after the fishing video.

“He’s a nice guy, man. I’m telling you. He takes on controversial subjects and becomes a lightning rod for hate,” Rogan said.

The podcaster added, “We all want to classify people as on our tribe or not on our tribe. Are we in or are we out? It’s ideological.”

Watch above via The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Carlson discussion begins at approximately 4:08:00.