Joe Rogan has opened up an anti-cancel culture comedy club called Comedy Mothership. The 55-year-old featured a line-up of “cancelled” comedians on his opening night, which included the likes of Roseanne Barr, who was removed five years ago from the revival of her hit sitcom, Roseanne, after posting a racist tweet. Rogan said he opened the club, located in his hometown of Austin, Texas, to provide a safe space for comedians to try risqué material without the fear of repercussions.
“I felt compelled to do it … I never wanted to own a comedy club, and I always felt like you just had to be nice to comedy club owners because you never want to be one of those people. But then when I knew I was moving here, and [Austin’s Capital City Comedy Club] was already closed. I was like, ‘Maybe I should buy a f–king club, and start a club.’ And that became my focus,” Rogan told fellow comedian Theo Von on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
“You can’t fire me from my own club, b–ch!” Rogan, an ex-fighter who also commentates for UFC, added.
Comedy Mothership’s first show on March 7 sold out in minutes, with £33 ($40) tickets now being resold for £417 ($500) online.
On opening night, comedians cracked jokes about taboo topics, including the LGBTQ+ community.
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Barr, best known for “Roseanne”, quipped about her cancellation: “After 30 years of fighting ABC to have black writers and black characters on my show and then having the same f—ing libtards turn around and call me a racist, it really f—ing pissed me off.”
“I want to thank Joe for building this wonderful Mothership for comedians,” the comedian said.
“It’s so great in the green room with everybody up there being drunk and smoking pot.”
The featured line-up also included David Lucas, Ron White, Tim Dillon and Tony Hinchcliffe.
Towards the end of the show, Rogan reflected on the opening of his much-anticipated comedy club, saying: “It doesn’t feel real. I know it’s real, but it doesn’t feel real…I was super nervous today.”
He said he has no plans on slowing down his business ventures either.
“I think I just like risks. I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, let’s buy a building on a street filled with crack addicts.’ Like, I want someone to say no to me. They’re all like, ‘OK, go ahead’,” Rogan explained.
The alien-themed club, located in Sixth Street, a part of the entertainment district in Austin, advises guests to research comedians who will be performing to avoid any disturbances.
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Several prominent artists, led by Neil Young, took their music off the service to protest what they described as Covid vaccine misinformation on Rogan’s show.
The podcaster’s anti-coronavirus vaccine comments have also attracted criticism from some liberal news outlets, such as CNN.
Despite facing external and internal calls to take action against Rogan, Spotify has so far backed the controversial podcaster.
Drawing in tens of millions of listeners for its most popular episodes, “The Joe Rogan Experience” is Spotify’s biggest podcast not only in the US but in 92 other markets.
In its financial reports, Spotify cites podcasts — and Rogan’s show in particular — as a driving factor in the sought-after revenue growth of its advertising business.
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