Joe Rogan's first ever podcast sponsor may now embarrass the UFC legend as bizarre details resurface

The Joe Rogan Experience has come a long way since it began in 2009.

Rogan started his podcast more than 15 years ago and early episodes were made with little production value and were mostly comprised on long conversations with the UFC commentator's friends from the comedy or MMA worlds.

Now, the JRE is one of the most popular and influential podcasts in the world, with more than 11 million downloads per episode on average and a YouTube channel with 19 million subscribers.

Guests on the show now come from a diverse spectrum of backgrounds, from sport to science to politics to Hollywood. Some of his most famous interviewees include Mike Tyson, Elon Musk and Quentin Tarantino.

Joe Rogan and Donald Trump share a warm embrace at UFC 309. Image: Getty

In October last year, Donald Trump was the guest for an episode that lasted more than three hours. The scope of Rogan's influence is such that the then-former president's appearance, alongside Rogan's official endorsement of the Republican candidate, is believe to have played a part in Trump's re-election.

In 2020, Spotify acquired the rights to Rogan's podcast in a deal that reportedly netted the stand-up comedian $100 million. Last year, the 57-year-old renewed his deal with the streaming giant for $250 million.

All of this makes it seem like a lifetime ago that Rogan's show was sponsored by a sex toy.

In the early years of the JRE, the "Fleshlight" was the podcast's primary sponsor and the host would begin every episode promoting the device designed to aid male pleasure.

Now boasting a bespoke studio in Austin, Texas, and with companies such as Athletic Greens and Cash App now on board as sponsors, Rogan discussed in a 2020 episode how rough-around-the-edges the show was when it first began.

"I had to learn how to do this thing that I didn’t think was a skill," he told guest Jon Stewart. "I thought being on the radio or podcasting was just talking. No, you’re talking in a way in which people want to listen.

"You’re making it entertaining, and keeping your ego in check. You’re moving the conversation along, without being overbearing. You’re not letting people ramble too much. You gotta figure out how to juice things up, and push them, and massage them.

"It’s a skill and I didn’t think it was a skill. That’s one of the reasons my early episodes sucked so bad, there wasn’t even consideration to the fact that people were listening.”