Joe Rogan in 2026: Iran War Breakup With Trump, Ronda Rousey UFC Pay Fight, and Calling the Year "F*cked"
Joe Rogan is having the most politically charged year of his podcasting career — and he is not holding back. In the span of one week, the Joe Rogan Experience host publicly broke with Donald Trump over the U.S. war in Iran, backed Ronda Rousey's UFC fighter pay crusade, slammed Dana White over a BMF title fight, and declared 2026 the most unstable year he has ever seen. The man who helped elect Trump is now one of his loudest critics.
Joe Rogan Calls the Iran War "Nuts" — Breaking With Trump Publicly
Joe Rogan is denouncing the Iran war as "nuts," saying some supporters of President Trump feel "betrayed" because he ran on a promise of avoiding unnecessary Middle East wars.
Rogan has broken with Trump on several major issues since mid-2025. Nearly every poll shows the war with Iran is unpopular, with a majority opposing it and independents opposing it around 2-to-1. Rogan has said the conflict just does not make sense to him unless the U.S. is acting on someone else's interests — particularly Israel's.
Joe Rogan Says 2026 Is the Most Unstable Year Yet
Joe Rogan went viral after admitting on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience that 2026 is the most unstable year he has ever seen — a statement that resonated sharply with millions of listeners who have watched the podcast host's gradual public disillusionment with the Trump administration unfold in real time.
Rogan, who endorsed Trump on the eve of the 2024 election and was seen embracing the president at a UFC fight held in Madison Square Garden before attending the inauguration, has spent the first months of 2026 cataloguing a growing list of grievances with the administration's direction.
Rogan vs. Trump on Epstein, Immigration, and Iran — All Three Issues
Rogan has for months expressed incredulity about the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files, casting it as a betrayal of Trump's supporters who believed making those materials public was a core promise of the 2024 campaign.
On immigration, Rogan decried the targeting of people without criminal records — describing raids on construction workers and gardeners as insane — and called out cases where U.S. citizens were caught up in enforcement sweeps. He also criticized the attempted deportation of pro-Palestinian activists with legal status.
Joe Rogan Backs Ronda Rousey on UFC Fighter Pay
On the JRE MMA Show, Rogan voiced support for Ronda Rousey's recent criticism of the UFC, backing her stance as she pushes for change following failed comeback negotiations. Rousey is now set to return outside the UFC on a Netflix-backed event — a move that has intensified discussions around fighter pay and competition within MMA.
Rogan told guest Dustin Poirier that Rousey made some good points, adding that the most important thing is that she gets the conversation out there and puts pressure on the UFC to pay fighters more — particularly following the UFC's $7.7 billion deal with Paramount.
Rogan Reveals Dana White Disliked Holloway vs. Oliveira BMF Fight
Rogan revealed on his podcast that UFC boss Dana White was not impressed with the BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira at UFC 326. While pitching Dana White on muay thai and kickboxing fights, Rogan said White made it clear he did not like the Holloway-Oliveira fight — in which Oliveira dominated on the ground for over 20 minutes to earn a unanimous decision.
Rogan believes Rousey's position — combined with the backing of a major platform like Netflix — could force meaningful change across the sport, arguing that if more fighters become free agents and more promotions compete for their services, things could get very interesting for the industry as a whole.
Upcoming Joe Rogan Experience Guests — What Is Coming Next
Upcoming guests on the Joe Rogan Experience include actor and musician Luke Grimes, journalist Glenn Greenwald, and world champion kickboxer John Wayne Parr, among others. The JRE podcast releases new episodes daily at 1 p.m. ET, Tuesday through Friday and sometimes Saturday, prerecorded several days in advance.
The Joe Rogan Experience remains the most listened-to podcast on the planet — and in 2026, it has become the clearest and most consequential running commentary on the fault lines tearing through American political life.
