Joe Rogan Swears Australia Has Banned Farmers From Growing Their Own Crops, Gets Immediately Corrected

Joe Rogan, while a particularly prominent podcaster, has often been criticized by detractors for spreading misinformation on his show. Those who criticize Rogan as a dumb guy's idea of a smart guy were given a gift yesterday in the form of a viral video in which Rogan expressed disapproval after coming across an article (that he admits he didn't read) about a recent law in New South Wales that forbids farmers from growing crops and raising animals.

In a short two minutes, Rogan went from irritation to embarrassment as he realized it was fake news.

joe rogan having a normal one (watch until the end) pic.twitter.com/bs3CEYlpkX

— KnowNothing (@KnowNothingTV) May 17, 2022

In a voice seemingly mocking Australian politicians, Rogan said, "Most pandemics have come from agriculture. Animal agriculture. We can’t have unchecked pig ownership. That’s not fair. We can’t have you growing vegetables. What if your vegetables have ergot growing in them, diseases. F***ing creeps. We gonna stop these motherf***ers from growing their own food because that's how you smoke out an anti-vaxxer, because you can't go to a grocery store anymore, and you can't grow your own food!"

After his rant, Rogan's producer Jaime Vernon stepped in to say he could find no such law similar to the one Rogan was referencing – save for one article that "reported" a similar story coming from New South Wales – though it "was a false thing" Vernon explained.

Rogan then scrolled through his own phone and grew crestfallen as he realized he'd been duped. "Damn it, it better not be fake. It might be fake," he said.

As Twitter users got their yuks in at yet another clip of Rogan getting immediately corrected after expressing discontent at something that isn't true, NBC journalist Brandy Zadrozny posted a thread investigating the likely source of Rogan's confusion. According to Zadrozny, the story stemmed from a website called Apex World News, which she described as "a typical 'breaking news' type of misinfo account" with very sketchy origins.

OK. So I've got a minute. Why Does Joe Rogan think Australia is trying to make growing your own food illegal? Let’s investigate. https://t.co/zA5NH1qZtq

— Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) May 17, 2022

To the Wayback! Site looks junky, serves ads. And much of the content is authored by a "Grace Siwale." There is a person on Twitter with this name (not linking) and she shares a lot of Apex World News links. She's also deeply religious and a fan of one particular preacher. pic.twitter.com/wrGRNXhnmP

— Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) May 17, 2022

The kind of thing you might read / see on Apex World News? Misinformation Madlibs: https://t.co/UuMJUBLXym

— Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) May 17, 2022

The claim had apparently been circulating online for some time prior to Rogan's gaffe, which prompted Reuters to fact-check the claim a week before Rogan repeated it on his podcast (they labeled it "false").

Contrary to claims online, a draft legislation being debated in the Australian state of Victoria will not prevent people from growing their own food https://t.co/M64KHuZruE pic.twitter.com/QYD0xSMesX

— Reuters Fact Check (@ReutersFacts) May 12, 2022

Upon listening to Rogan learn his juicy story was a hoax, his guest Bryan "Hotep Jesus" Sharpe then said, "But even if it's fake, the fake is usually the warning."