‘Surprised’ Joe Rogan podcast guest reveals what happens when recording his show

A guest who appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast has detailed his experience of being on the popular show.

Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of education and history at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of 'Free Speech and Why You Should Give a Damn', appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in August 2021.

Here, he spoke about education, marriage and work, as well as his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal in the early 1980s.

After appearing on the show, Zimmerman opened up on his experience in a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer – and it was a fascinating insight into what goes on behind the curtain.

"Last spring, I was invited to appear on Joe Rogan’s show. My first reaction was surprise: Why me? I’m not a comedian (like Rogan), or a martial-arts fighter (ditto), or a celebrity who likes to push the envelope (Elon Musk, Jordan Peterson)," began Zimmerman, who wrote the piece in 2022.

"I am just a nerdy college professor who writes books that very few people choose to read. (My mom says they’re very good.)"

The 63-year-old described the building Rogan tapes in as a "low-slung" and "nondescript" structure on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. "The show doesn’t pay guests, but it did fly me down there," Zimmerman added.

"When I arrived, I was told that Rogan was caught in the city’s notorious traffic. 'The Californians are clogging the roads,' one of his assistants groused. I pointed out that Rogan himself had recently moved to Austin from California. We both laughed.

After speaking about getting a COVID-19 test by a nurse Rogan employs, Zimmerman moved on to praising the host, who arrived late after a workout had "gone a little longer than usual".

Zimmerman added: "He’s also really nice, which is something you might not pick up from the tweets and headlines. Every controversial remark — about COVID-19, or race, or gender — probably makes you think, Wow, what a callous jerk.

"I can assure you he isn’t. He thanked me for flying down, asked about my family, and joked about the Austin traffic. We chatted for a few minutes while he waited for his own COVID-19 test results — negative, thank God — and then he ushered me into his studio, which looks pretty much as you’d expect: dark tones, comfy chairs, and a big neon sign with his name on it."

Zimmerman would later describe Rogan as a "genuinely curious person", which is "something else you don’t pick up from social-media shock reports" but criticised him for spreading "harmful" misinformation on COVID-19.

"He knows what to ask. And he knew what he didn’t know, which was the most refreshing thing of all," Zimmerman added.

"I realize that he has been far too credulous with some of his guests, buying their misinformation wholesale instead of critically assessing it. But I really enjoyed our conversation. It was an all-too-rare pleasure to converse with someone who actually wanted to listen instead of just talk."

He added: "I work at a university, so I’m surrounded by colleagues who often think they know everything. Rogan makes no such pretense. When we were discussing Nepal and I mentioned “untouchable” castes, it was clear he hadn’t heard the term. So he simply asked me what it meant, which is the only way we learn anything."

You can read Zimmerman experience in full here.