‘They’re lying at your network’: Joe Rogan in fiery clash with CNN’s chief medical correspondent

Joe Rogan was raging about how CNN reported his battle with Covid, so when the network’s chief medical reporter came on his show, there were fireworks.

Podcast host Joe Rogan couldn’t believe what he was hearing when he saw how his battle with Covid was reported on CNN.

In the days after he recovered, he slammed the network for saying he had taken “horse de-wormer” to treat the illness caused by the virus – saying he had been prescribed Ivermectin by his doctor.

It’s perhaps no surprise then that fireworks flew when he sat down to talk with CNN’s chief medical correspondent on his podcast this week.

Dr Sanjay Gupta appeared on the star’s Spotify show to discuss Ivermectin’s use as a Covid-19 treatment and after a tense back-end-forth, he eventually agreed that the anti-parasite drug, which was prescribed to Rogan by a doctor, should never have been repeatedly described on CNN as a horse de-wormer.

Former UFC commentator, Rogan, 54, drew criticism from leading US doctor Anthony Fauci when he revealed he took the anti-parasite drug in an Instagram video last month.

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

Joe Rogan caught Covid last month.

Rogan recovered last month after what he called a “kitchen sink” approach.

On The Joe Rogan Experience, he repeatedly pressed Gupta on his network’s claims that he took animal drugs.

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

“It’s a lie,” Rogan 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.”

Dr Gupta pointed to what he called a “snarky” tweet by the FDA telling people they are “not a horse,” seemingly comparing it to his CNN colleague’s statements.

“Why would you say that when you’re talking about a drug that’s been given out to billions and billions of people? A drug that was responsible for one of the inventors winning the Nobel Prize in 2015?

“A drug that has been shown to stop viral replication in vitro – you know that, right? Why would they lie and say that’s horse de-wormer? I can afford people medicine, motherf***er. This is ridiculous,” Rogan said.

Rogan went on to criticise mainstream media for pushing a false narrative about ivermectin – an anti-parasitic drug taken by 250 million people a year, according to a 2015 Nobel lecture.

“It’s just a lie, but don’t you think a lie like that is dangerous on a news network, when you know that they know they’re lying?” Rogan asked.

Dr Gupta replied: “We’re going so fast.”

“Dude, they lied and said I was taking horse de-wormer,” Rogan hit back. “First of all, it was prescribed to me by a doctor along with a bunch of other medications.”

ivermectin is a generic anti-parasitic medication that has not been proven to treat Covid-19. Picture: The Pulse

Dr Gutpa conceded: “If you got a human pill – because there are people that were taking the veterinary medication, and you’re not, obviously, you got it from a doctor – so it shouldn’t be called that.

“Ivermectin can be a very effective medication for parasitic disease and, as you say, it’s probably a quarter billion people have taken it around the world.”

“Does it bother you that the network you work for out and lied, just outright lied about me taking horse de-wormer?’ Rogan asked.

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

“Why did they do that?” Rogan asked.

“I don’t know,” Dr Gupta said.

“You didn’t ask? You’re the medical guy over there,” Rogan said.

“I didn’t ask, I should have asked before coming on the podcast,” Dr Gupta said.

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.

Rogan announced he fell ill on August 28, during the Florida leg of his live tour.

The broadcaster, who has previously questioned the need for a Covid-19 vaccine, took to Instagram to tell his 13.1 million followers that he had arrived home feeling “very weary, I had a headache and I just felt run down”.

Rogan has recovered from the illness. Picture: Supplied

“Just to be cautious, I separated from my family, I slept in a different part of the house and throughout the night I got fevers and sweats, so I knew what was going on,” he said.

Rogan, 53, was tested the following day and said: “Turns out I got Covid.”

After his positive diagnosis, Rogan said he “immediately threw the kitchen sink at it”.

Rogan said he took “all kinds of meds” and then proceeded to list the treatment plan he followed in an attempt to beat his coronavirus infection.

“Monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, Z-pak (zithromax), prednisone, everything, and I also got an NAD drip and a vitamin drip and I did that three days in a row,” he said.

Monoclonal antibody therapy has been used to treat Covid patients however the effectiveness of ivermectin, typically used as a deworming medication for animals, is still being studied and it is not a proven treatment for Covid-19.

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration issued a warning against ivermectin, reminding people it was not approved for use in this country.