Protestors marked New Year’s Eve by lampooning Joe Rogan outside of his Austin-based Comedy Mothership venue — branding the podcaster a “diet Alex Jones.”
Videos of the protest quickly went viral on Reddit, showing participants in inflatable unicorn, dinosaur, and cow costumes, alongside a Eric Cartman, the notorious South Park character, impersonator. The venue hosted two shows of its Best of the Year New Year's Showcase that night.
One protester swayed to music while holding two signs reading, “never again is now” and “Rogan is diet Alex Jones,” referencing his fellow Austin resident and far-right media figure.
Rogan relocated to Austin from California in 2020, and has also moved the production of his hugely popular podcast to Texas. He has owned the Comedy Mothership club since 2023, My San Antonio reports.
The video of the protest has over 100 comments as of Tuesday, with one viewer claiming it was "Funnier than anything inside the building.”
“This right here is why I love Austin,” another wrote.
“Respect my authoritah!” another user commented, echoing Cartman’s famous catchphrase.
Some critics claimed Rogan’s presence in Austin has hurt local venues and performers.
"I hate that these a**holes from out of state, (Rogan) moved in and claim the entirety of the Austin comedy scene. The dude owns one comedy venue not all of them," one person said.
Another responded, endorsing venues like the Coldtowne Theater and premier Capitol City Comedy Club, writing, "Keep Austin Funny...without diet Alex Jones."
The Independent has contacted Comedy Mothership for comment.
Veteran comedians have also criticized Rogan’s impact on Austin’s booming comedy scene. On an August episode of the Bad Friends podcast, hosted by comedians Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino, fellow stand-up Marc Maron criticized Austin acts, including Rogan, claiming they promote transphobia and racism, and that their jokes contribute to real harm against marginalized communities.
"Whatever they represented, in terms of policy, it's like, they won. Trans people are frightened. They have no ability to get health care anymore, and they're afraid of being alive and have no freedom left. That's done," Maron said. "When do you stop with the jokes? Like immigrants, they're being ripped away from their homes, and they're all terrified."
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