Joe Rogan
This article is about the comedian and actor. For the baseball pitcher known as "Bullet Joe", see Bullet Rogan.Joe Rogan (born
August 11 1967) is an
American stand-up comedian, but is better known for his work in
film and
television, notably in
Fear Factor and
NewsRadio, and as one of the
hosts of
The Man Show. He also has a
DVD out,
Live from the Belly of the Beast, as well as a
CD, called
I'm Gonna Be Dead Someday. More recently, Rogan has become affliated with the
UFC as a host and commentator. He will also be touring with
John Heffron and
Charlie Murphy in Maxim and Bud Light's
Real Men of Comedy tour
Born in
Newark, New Jersey, he was raised in
Revere,
Massachusetts, and achieved a degree of fame as a four-time state
Taekwondo champion before pursuing a career in
show business. Rogan earned a
black belt at 15 after just two years of
training. In 1987, at age 20, he won the
American Open Tae Kwon Do Championship, and later as a
lightweight champion went on to beat the
middleweight and
heavyweight title-holders to obtain the Grand Championship.
In 1995, Joe Rogan was cast as the office handyman on the sitcom
Newsradio. He stayed on the show until it was cancelled in 1999.
Since
2001, he has been the host of
NBC's
Fear Factor, a
reality show that pits six
contestants (usually three males and three females) against each other in
daredevil stunts for a chance to
win a
prize of
$50,000.
As of November 2002, he has also been involved with
Ultimate Fighting Championship as a
color commentator, where he has been a post fight interviewer since 1997.
Rogan has been training in
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for many years and was recently awarded his brown belt by
Eddie Bravo.
Rogan got into a scuffle with
Jonathan Baker on an episode of Reality TV Star Fear Factor. In what appeared to be a self-defense situation, Rogan placed him in a
Muay Thai-style
headlock, which is usually combined with upward kneeing to the face — however Joe did not follow-through with this.
*He is a regular at the
Comedy Store in
West Hollywood, California*He had a
1970 'Cuda, dubbed "Sick Fish", customized by
Rad Rides by Troy. An episode of "
Rides" followed the customization.
* He is distantly related to
Gerard Way and
Mikey Way of the
New Jersey-based band
My Chemical Romance.
*According to
cast commentary on the
NewsRadio seasons 1 and 2 DVD set, Rogan suffers from the
skin disease Vitiligo.
*He is a user and
enthusiast of
psychedelic drugs. [
1]
*Has a strong disliking for comedians whom he describes as "thieves" and "hacks," comedians who take jokes and routines from other comedians. Claims popular comedians
Robin Williams,
Carlos Mencia,
Dane Cook and
Denis Leary are thieves and hacks (and conversely, maintains that
Chris Rock,
Dave Attell, and
Dave Chappelle have the best reputation within the industry for
not doing this at all). Also claimed
Carlos Mencia stands in the back of the Comedy Store when Joe does standup there and copies his jokes. Mikey a member of the San Diego based
Mikey Show tried to resolve this conflict between Joe and Mencia, but Joe refused to appear on the show with Mencia.(
Loveline appearance, June 6, 2006). [
2]
*Rogan and movie actor
Wesley Snipes were in negotiations in late 2005 to fight a
mixed martial arts match in the UFC, however, no deal has been made. Snipes also has a background in martial arts, specifically
karate,
kung fu, and
capoeira. [
3]
*Rogan appeared in an episode of
Chappelle's Show in which
Tyrone Biggums was a contestant on Fear Factor, who succeeds at every challenge as the result of living homeless in a
ghetto.
*
JoeRogan.net â€" Official Site
*
My Space- Joe Rogan My Space
*
Fear Factor â€" Official Site
*
Various video clips featuring Joe Rogan on Sacred Cow Productions' website