Joe Rogan was reduced to tears and struggled to get his words out after recalling a 'horrible' incident on his podcast.
Last January, a series of wildfires ripped across parts of Los Angeles, California, destroying thousands of homes and businesses.
It was estimated that 180,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes as the wildfires killed 30 people and upward of $250 billion in economic costs.
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In an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience in the wake of the devastating wildfires, the UFC commentator opened up on being evacuated three times during wildfires in the past, having made a chilling prediction.
Speaking to Rick Caruso, who launched a non-profit to help people rebuild after the fires, Rogan recalled what happened in 2018: "Two of my neighbours lost their homes. And watching those folks cry in front of the rubble where they lived, it’s just, it’s just horrible."
Rogan, who was wiping away tears while speaking, added: "They rebuilt some of them. Two of the houses are still gone in my old neighbourhood. They never rebuilt, they just pulled out.
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"It’s like, 'What am I going to do? I lost everything.' I mean, Mel Gibson lost books from the 1600s."
Gibson lost his home in the recent wildfires while he was in Austin filming a podcast episode with Rogan.
The Hollywood star, best known for starring in films such as Braveheart and Ransom, opened up to NewsNation about losing the home he had lived in for around 15 years.
“Obviously, it’s kind of devastating. It’s emotional,” he explained. "You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff... I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff, because it’s all in cinders.”
On filming a podcast episode with the 57-year-old amid the wildfires, Gibson said: “I was doing the Rogan podcast and [I was] kind of ill at ease while we were talking, because I knew my neighbourhood was on fire, so I thought, I wonder if my place is still there.
"But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there. I went home and I said to myself, well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore.
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"I had a lot of personal things there that I can’t get back," he added. "All kinds of stuff, everything from photographs to files to just personal things that I had from over the years, and clothing. But you know that can all be replaced.
“These are only things. And the good news is that, those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way, that’s all I can care about, really.”
As of April 2025, a total of 610 fires have burned 59,176 acres across the state.
Topics: Joe Rogan
Nasir Jabbar