Podcast host Joe Rogan sharply criticized President Donald Trump over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and what he described as a failure to fully protect victims connected to the convicted sex offender’s network.
“It’s crazy,” Rogan said on a recent episode of his show while discussing the controversial rollout of the Epstein documents. “The whole thing is crazy because like… why have you protected people?”
While examining reports that a torture video was allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, a prominent Dubai businessman, Rogan questioned the redactions in the documents. “Why is his name redacted? Why would your name be redacted if you’re not a victim?” he asked.
Joe Rogan on the Epstein files:
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) February 12, 2026
“None of this is good for this administration. It looks f*cking terrible. It looks terrible for Trump when he said that none of this was real. This is all a hoax. This is not a hoax…How come all this sh*t is not released?”pic.twitter.com/fIkhOfhHAI
“Like, this is what’s crazy about all this,” Rogan continued. “How come you redact some people and you don’t redact other people? Like, what is this? This is not good. None of this is good for this administration.”
Addressing Trump’s previous assertion that scrutiny surrounding the Epstein materials amounted to a “Democrat-inspired hoax,” Rogan pushed back. “It looks terrible for Trump when he was saying that none of this was real. This is all a hoax. This is not a hoax. Like, did you not know? Maybe he didn’t know, if you want to be charitable, but this is definitely not a hoax. And if you’ve got redacted people’s names and these people aren’t victims, you’re not protecting the victim. So, what are you doing?”
“And how come all this s–t is not released?” he added. Although the Justice Department has published more than 3.5 million files tied to the investigation into Epstein, officials have acknowledged the existence of roughly 6 million total files. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche previously indicated that the most recent release would be the final batch.
Rogan’s own name appears in the Epstein files, though he has publicly clarified the context. In a conversation with actor Cheryl Hines—who is married to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—Rogan explained that he declined an invitation to meet Epstein.
“Jeffrey Epstein was trying to meet with me. And I was like, what? Like, no thanks,” Rogan said.
“Aren’t you glad [you didn’t go]?” Hines asked.
“It’s not even a possibility that I would’ve ever went, especially after I Googled him,” Rogan replied.
Rogan, whose podcast frequently ranks at the top of YouTube, Apple, and Spotify charts, endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election, citing concerns about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the running mate of then–Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump later appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience in the final stretch of the campaign to appeal to younger male voters.
In recent months, however, Rogan has taken a more critical tone. He has accused the administration of creating public distractions—particularly through Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids—to divert attention from the delay in releasing the remaining Epstein files.
On a January episode of his show, comedian Ehsan Ahmad remarked that the administration had not released new materials “for a minute,” adding that public anger had been “drowned out by everything else that’s been going on with like Somalians and the ICE shooting. It feels like that’s completely drowned out anything about it.”
“I think some of that’s on purpose,” Rogan responded quietly.
Rogan has also voiced concerns about ICE’s tactics, drawing controversial comparisons. “Are we really gonna be the Gestapo?” Rogan said in January. “‘Where’s your papers?’ Is that what we’ve come to?”
He further criticized Trump for remarks made after the killing of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, telling comedian Shane Gillis in December, “Look, there’s no justification for what [Trump] did that makes any sense in a compassionate society. It’s no different than people that were celebrating when Charlie Kirk got shot.”
The podcaster has also reflected on Trump’s public demeanor. In a December conversation with Tom Segura, when the comedian suggested Trump was “losing it,” Rogan agreed, saying, “I think everybody does when you get to a certain age.”
As scrutiny over the Epstein files continues, Rogan’s evolving stance underscores growing tension between Trump and some of the high-profile media figures who once backed him, raising fresh questions about transparency, accountability, and political fallout heading into the next election cycle.
