Joe Rogan slams CNN’s Don Lemon in ivermectin row

Podcast host Joe Rogan has taken aim at CNN’s Don Lemon again, in an ongoing row over the medicine ivermectin being used to treat Covid.

Podcast host Joe Rogan, who recently battled Covid-19, has taken aim at CNN’s Don Lemon in an ongoing row over the medicine ivermectin.

Rogan, 54, had previously slammed the network for the way it reported on his recovery from the virus, after they said he had taken a “livestock drug” and “horse de-wormer”, pointing out that the ivermectin had been prescribed by his doctor.

When he made a podcast appearance with the network’s chief medical correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta earlier in the week, tensions were high.

US podcaster Joe Rogan. Picture: Supplied

Dr Gupta had appeared on the podcast giant’s Spotify show to discuss ivermectin’s use as a Covid-19 treatment. Following a fiery conversation, he eventually admitted his colleagues shouldn’t have made the claims about it being a horse de-wormer.

“Calling it a horse de-wormer is not the most flattering thing, I get that,” Dr Gupta said.

“It’s a lie,” Rogan had responded.

“It’s a lie on a news network … and it’s a lie that they’re conscious of. It’s not a mistake. They’re unfavourably framing it as veterinary medicine.”

“They shouldn’t have said that,” Dr Gupta responded.

Dr Gupta said he would “talk to them”, but when he went back on CNN he said nothing to correct Don Lemon when he defended his “lie” about horse de-wormer.

SUPERCUT!

Media mock @JoeRogan for claim they invented about horse pills pic.twitter.com/D5CuBEKgBw

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 15, 2021

“He did say something about ivermectin that I think wasn’t actually correct about CNN and lying,” Lemon began.

“Ivermectin is a drug that is commonly used as a horse de-wormer. So it is not a lie to say that the drug is used as a horse de-wormer. I think that’s important – and it’s not approved for covid, correct?”

CNN anchor Don Lemon was the target of Rogan’s ire.

“That’s right,” Gupta responded. “It is not approved for covid and you’re right, even the FDA put out a statement saying basically reminding people – it’s a strange sort of message FDA, but said ‘You’re not a horse, you’re not a cow, stop taking this stuff’ is essentially what they said referring to ivermectin. Now, I think Joe’s point is that –”

“That it’s been approved for humans but not necessarily for covid, right?” Lemon interjected.

“That’s correct,” Gupta continued. “It’s been used for a parasitic disease – it’s called river blindness and it’s been very effective for that, but, you know, just because it works for one thing doesn’t mean it works for something else.”

Addressing Sanjay Gupta's appearance on @JoeRogan's show (where Gupta admitted CNN was wrong for saying he took a horse dewormer), Don Lemon and Gupta doubled down on the claim. Only later did they admit it also worked in humans against parasites. pic.twitter.com/57zn4byCKZ

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) October 14, 2021

Furious over Dr Gupta’s doubling down with Lemon, former UFC commentator Rogan fired back and called the anchor a “dumb motherf***er” on Tuesday’s instalment of The Joe Rogan Experience, and also hit out at his network.

“This is what’s so funny about that,” Rogan said on Tuesday. “They don’t understand that when they say things that are absolutely untrue, it diminishes their authority.

“They’re not even aware of what they’re doing. When Don Lemon goes on with Sanjay Gupta and says, ‘Actually, it really is a veterinary medicine. It really is horse de-wormer’.

“This was the lie - he goes, ‘It’s not a lie to say it’s also used as horse medicine.’ But that’s not what you said,” guest Michael Malice said.

Joe Rogan has hit out at CNN again.

“You didn’t you say ‘this drug, which also is used for horses.’ Of what relevance is that?”

“It doesn’t have any relevance,” Rogan responded. “It’s exactly what you’re talking about with penicillin and with a gigantic number of medicines that also have veterinary applications.

“But by doing that, you just, you just proved my point. They don’t even understand what they just did. You think no one’s, like, it’s going to end with you?

“Because it used to be that way. They would say something and no one would have recourse.

“But when you’re saying something, and then the person you’re saying it about has literally tens times the audience you do, you dumb motherf-----. Do you know what you did? You just proved my point.”

Rogan went on to suggest CNN hire “better people”.

There is much debate about the use of ivermectin for covid patients. Picture: Luis Robayo/AFP

CNN remained defiant amid criticism of its coverage of Rogan, offering a fiery statement to Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple.

“The heart of this debate has been purposely confused and ultimately lost,” CNN told Wemple on Thursday.

“It’s never been about livestock versus human dosage of Ivermectin.

“The issue is that a powerful voice in the media, who by example and through his platform, sowed doubt in the proven and approved science of vaccines while promoting the use of an unproven treatment for Covid-19 — a drug developed to ward off parasites in farm animals.”

“The only thing CNN did wrong here was bruise the ego of a popular podcaster who pushed dangerous conspiracy theories and risked the lives of millions of people in doing so.”

The statement did not acknowledge Gupta’s admission.

Joe Rogan used ivermectin in his battle against covid, along with other medicines. Picture: Supplied

Limited studies have shown some promising early signs for the drug, however subsequent human trials have failed to produce high-quality evidence of its effectiveness against Covid-19.

In Australia, the National Covid-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce has already sifted through tens of thousands of trials from around the world and it narrowed down 18 trials that compared ivermectin to standard care.

The studies were dismissed as “low quality” which means experts don’t have the credible data they need to prove it works against the virus.