Lex Fridman sparks backlash on JRE after comparing Genghis Khan to Putin

Joe Rogan has found himself under fire yet again, with fans expressing frustration over the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. 

The backlash stems from JRE #2260, which featured MIT physicist and AI researcher Lex Fridman as the guest. Fridman, known for his podcast interviews with figures like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stirred controversy during the episode with his commentary on historical and political figures.

The tipping point for many viewers came when Fridman attempted to contextualize Genghis Khan, claiming he was misunderstood as a purely bad figure while comparing him to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

“While Genghis Khan was brutal, he also had good qualities,” Fridman argued during the episode. This statement did not sit well with fans, who accused Fridman of indirectly praising Putin.

On Reddit and other social media platforms, fans voiced their dissatisfaction with both the episode and Rogan’s recent guest choices. 

Comments like, “Holy s**t, it’s insufferable,” and “Lex Fridman is the king of someone who thinks and acts like they’re smarter than they really are,” reflected their disappointment. One viewer summed it up bluntly: 

“A random paleontologist without anything to sell would be far more interesting than 90% of his guests nowadays.”

Many fans criticized Rogan for sticking to a predictable rotation of guests who share similar ideologies. “Is Rogan nowadays just simply rotating through the same list of guests who basically all have the exact same opinion?” one commenter asked. 

Others lamented the lack of diversity in viewpoints, with one fan remarking, “Joe Rogan’s high-caliber guests dropped off a cliff once he moved to Texas.”

Some viewers also called out the harm of Fridman’s biased commentary. “Just think how many idiots tune into these two idiots to form their world view,” one user wrote, while another described the episode as “insufferable” due to the lack of insightful or challenging discussions.

Fans of the show have grown increasingly vocal about their desire for Rogan to bring on guests with varied perspectives, rather than hosting individuals who often echo his own views. 

“We want a variety of guests, not ones that sing the same tunes,” one viewer commented.