Joe Rogan

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Joe Rogan
Joerogan.jpg
Rogan performs at a comedy club after UFC 70
Birth name Joseph James Rogan[1]
Born (1967-08-11) August 11, 1967 (age 45)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Medium Stand-up, presenter, announcer, podcaster, sports commentator
Nationality American
Years active 1988–present
Genres Satire/political satire, blue comedy, observational comedy
Subject(s) Recreational drug use, self-deprecation, race relations, marriage, everyday life, parenting, current events, politics, religion
Influences Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, Sam Kinison, Terrence McKenna, George Carlin
Notable works and roles Joe Garrelli in NewsRadio
Co-Host of The Man Show
Host of Fear Factor
Commentator for the UFC
Author of the Book Space Monkey
Host of The Joe Rogan Experience
Joe Rogan
Style Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Kickboxing, Taekwondo
Team 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu
Teacher(s) Jean Jacques Machado
Eddie Bravo
Rank      Black belt in Taekwondo
     Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Joseph James "Joe" Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American martial artist, stand-up comedian, actor, writer and color commentator. He is best known for playing Joe Garrelli on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio, commentating for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as hosting the NBC reality show Fear Factor and The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. His new show, Joe Rogan Questions Everything, premieres on Syfy in July 2013.

Contents

Early life [edit]

Rogan was born in Newark, New Jersey and grew up in Boston.[2][3] His paternal grandfather was Irish, and the remainder of his ancestry is Italian.[4]

Career [edit]

Martial arts [edit]

In 1981, at age fourteen, he became a practitioner of Kenpo Karate before transitioning to Taekwondo.[5] He eventually gained a 2nd dan black belt.[6] A four-time state champion in Massachusetts, in 1987 he was the USA Taekwondo U.S. Open Champion.[7] In 1996, he began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Jean Jacques Machado, eventually earning his black belt.[8] In addition, he holds a black belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu under Eddie Bravo.[9] Rogan also practiced and competed in kickboxing early in his career.[10]

Acting [edit]

In 1994, he co-starred on the Fox comedy Hardball as Frank Valente, the young, ego-centric star player on a fictional professional baseball team.[11] From 1995 to 1999, he co-starred on the comedy NewsRadio. He portrayed Joe Garrelli, the electrician at WNYX, a news radio station in New York City.[12] In 2002, he appeared on the episode "A Beautiful Mind" of Just Shoot Me as Chris, Maya Gallo's boyfriend.[13] In 2011, Rogan played his first major character in a movie in the Kevin James movie Zookeeper.[14] He played himself in Here Comes the Boom, an action-comedy starring Kevin James released in 2012.[15]

Color commentary [edit]

Joe Rogan during the UFC Ultimate Fight Night 7 broadcast

Rogan began working for the UFC in 1997, making his debut interviewing fighters at UFC 12: Judgement Day in Dothan, Alabama, before eventually becoming a color commentator for the promotion.[16] He won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards in two occasions as Best Television Announcer. He was also named "MMA Personality of the Year" in the 2011 World MMA Awards.[17]

Stand-up comedy [edit]

Rogan has toured as a stand-up comedian and recorded several albums and specials, including Shiny Happy Jihad and Joe Rogan: Talking Monkeys in Space.

In 2007, Rogan confronted comedian Carlos Mencia on stage, accusing him of joke thievery.[18] A video of the incident included evidence and supporting comments from other comedians, including George Lopez, Reverend Bob Levy, Bobby Lee and Ari Shaffir.[19]

Hosting [edit]

Rogan worked on the TV series Fear Factor, as a host of the United States version of the show. He hosted from June 11, 2001 through September 12, 2006. Rogan returned as the host of Fear Factor in the rebooted edition of the show, which aired December 12, 2011 on NBC.

In 2003, Rogan and Doug Stanhope replaced Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla as co-hosts of The Man Show.[20] They continued through the end of the show's run in 2004.

In December 2009, Rogan began hosting a regular podcast with concurrent live Ustream availability.[21] The podcast features an array of guests from the pursuits of comedy, acting and Mixed Martial Arts.[citation needed] Now known as The Joe Rogan Experience, the show is regularly found in the Apple iTunes top 10 overall, was named one of iTunes' "Best of 2010" audio podcasts in its first year, and won an award for being one of iTunes' top three comedy podcasts in 2012.[citation needed]

Personal life [edit]

In 2008, Rogan and his wife-to-be had a baby girl.[22] They married the following year.[23] In 2010, Rogan announced the birth of a second baby.[24]

Although raised Roman Catholic,[25] Rogan stated in September 2010, during a guest appearance on the Alex Jones radio show, that he does not follow any organized religions because he feels it is all the work of man. Rogan also said that he is not completely opposed to the concept of a "higher power" such as a God; however, he views the concept of God as part of nature that exists in everything.[26]

One of the recurring themes in his work and life is the use and support of entheogens, such as cannabis, psilocybin mushrooms, Ayahuasca, DMT and LSD, toward the exploration and enhancement of consciousness.[27] Rogan supports the medical and recreational use of cannabis.[28] He has also starred in the marijuana documentary The Union: The Business Behind Getting High.[29] Rogan was featured in the History Channel documentary, Marijuana: A Chronic History, as an advocate of legalized medical use of marijuana. He is also the presenter of the 2010 documentary DMT: The Spirit Molecule.

Another reoccuring theme is his interest in the usage of sensory deprivation and the isolation tank.[30] In a number of recent videos on Youtube and his own podcast, Rogan describes his personal experiences with isolation tanks and shares his insights into using them for various purposes, such as exploring the nature of consciousness and improving performance, health, well being and creativity.[31][32]

Rogan endorsed Ron Paul in the 2012 presidential campaign.[33] He owns homes in Bell Canyon, California and Boulder, Colorado.[34]

Comedy recordings [edit]

Awards and recognition [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Rogan, Joe (July 7, 2011). The Joe Rogan Experience Video Blog, Episode 8. Vimeo
  2. ^ http://blog.joerogan.net/archives/76
  3. ^ Schneider, Ryan (December 2002). Joe Rogan. Black Belt
  4. ^ Rogan, Joe (June 25, 2011). "I'm 3/4 Italian 1/4 Irish." via official Twitter
  5. ^ Rogan, Joe (2004). The Ultimate Fighting Championship: The Great Savior of the Art of Fighting. In Krauss, Erich Warriors of the ultimate fighting championship. Citadel Press, ISBN 978-0-8065-2657-7
  6. ^ Wagenheim, Jeff (August 27, 2010). UFC 118 has grand appeal in Boston. ESPN
  7. ^ Graham, Renee (February 5, 1997). 'NewsRadio' flash: Local boy makes good: Joe Rogan revels in new-found fame. Boston Globe
  8. ^ "Joe Rogan receives jiu-jitsu black belt from Jean Jacques Machado". mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved September 17, 2012. 
  9. ^ Bravo, Eddie (June 27, 2012). I just gave @joerogan his 10th Planet black belt. Twitter
  10. ^ Budzak, Gary March 5, 2009. Funnymen well-armed to battle for chuckles throughout city. The Columbus Dispatch
  11. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. Random House Digital, ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4
  12. ^ News Radio – Joe Rogan via TBS
  13. ^ Gonzalez, Erika (April 5, 2002). Now 'Fear' This: Joe Rogan uncensored. Rocky Mountain News
  14. ^ O'Connell, Sean (July 8, 2011). If he could talk to the animals. Washington Post
  15. ^ Buan-Deveza, Reyma (April 5, 2011). Charice filming 2nd Hollywood movie with Salma Hayek? ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs
  16. ^ UFC 126: Joe Rogan previews card on ESPN 1100 Accessed on February 4, 2011.
  17. ^ (February 22, 2012).Fighters Only World MMA Awards 2011.
  18. ^ Raustiala, Kal; Sprigman, Chris (March 30, 2010). The Vigilantes of Comedy. New York Times
  19. ^ Lussier, Germain (February 15, 2007).Joe Rogan and Carlos Mencia face off at comedy club. Times-Herald Record
  20. ^ Chocano, Carina (August 15, 2003). The Man Show. Entertainment Weekly
  21. ^ "Joe Rogan: Weekly Podcasts Have Begun". 
  22. ^ Fadroski, Kelli Skye (July 23, 2008).(Comic Joe Rogan gets into fatherhood, Zen, ultimate fighting. Orange County Register
  23. ^ "Joe Rogan brings trippy humor to Palm Beach Improv". PBPULSE.com. 2009-07-13. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  24. ^ "Joe Rogan accuses rivals of stealing his material". DALLASNEWS.com. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
  25. ^ TV personality-turned comedian offers offbeat advice on life. Dailyorange.com. October 16, 2006. Retrieved on 2011-12-23.
  26. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=137XHWdGTNg
  27. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99n9D4-73Qg
  28. ^ "Joe Rogan – Cure for Life", Youtube.com,
  29. ^ "Joe Rogan flotation tank", YouTube, Aug 3, 2006
  30. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEjTXX2rHgA
  31. ^ The Sensory Deprivation Tank - Joe Rogan on YouTube
  32. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bTQzVH9Kmg
  33. ^ http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/12/16/joe-rogan-of-fear-factor-endorses-ron-paul
  34. ^ http://www.milehighgayguy.com/2012/07/mile-high-hot-guy-joe-rogan.html
  35. ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 30, 2012). "Jan 30 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Gigantic year-end awards issue, best and worst in all categories plus UFC on FX 1, death of Savannah Jack, ratings, tons and tons of news". Wrestling Observer Newsletter (Campbell, CA). ISSN 10839593. 

External links [edit]