Golden Globes Snub Joe Rogan From New Best Podcast Category — And Reveal What Hollywood Really Fears

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The Golden Globes’ decision not to recognize Joe Rogan has sparked debate that goes beyond just an awards show. It highlights issues of power, who gets to decide what’s culturally important, and how Hollywood deals with viewpoints it doesn’t agree with.

The Golden Globes created a new award for Best Podcast this year, but surprisingly didn’t nominate Joe Rogan, whose show, The Joe Rogan Experience, is the most popular podcast globally. Despite this, the Globes maintain the award is intended for shows focused on entertainment, not politics.

Here’s the problem: Rogan doesn’t host a political podcast.

And that makes this snub impossible to ignore.

The Golden Globes’ Explanation Falls Apart Under Scrutiny

According to USA TODAY, the Globes nominated six “entertainment-focused” podcasts:

  • Call Her Daddy
  • Armchair Expert
  • Good Hang With Amy Poehler
  • The Mel Robbins Podcast
  • NPR’s Up First
  • Smartless

They then declared that no political podcasts were considered.

However, The Joe Rogan Experience isn’t really a political show. He interviews such a wide range of guests, covering so many different topics, that it’s hard to categorize it as political.

He hosts:

  • Comedians
  • Actors
  • Musicians
  • MMA fighters
  • Authors
  • Scientists
  • Cultural commentators

The show attracts viewers from across the political spectrum – conservatives are well-represented, but so are liberals, moderates, and people who aren’t particularly interested in politics. This broad appeal is why it’s so popular; it doesn’t focus on one ideology, it offers something for everyone.

The show’s categories on Spotify include: comedy, culture, and society. Not politics.

If the Golden Globes recognized entertainment podcasts, Joe Rogan would have undoubtedly been a top contender.

The fact that he wasn’t tells you the decision wasn’t about genre at all.

Hollywood’s Problem with Rogan Is Not His Content — It’s His Independence

According to USA TODAY, Joe Rogan is labeled as leaning to the right politically, placing him in the same category as commentators like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly, and Ben Shapiro – all of whom faced similar exclusion.

But that framing says more about the media’s discomfort than about Rogan’s actual show.

Rogan’s true offense, as far as Hollywood is concerned, is simple:

He gives both sides the microphone.

In a world where most media carefully control their message and stick to predictable stories, Joe Rogan does things differently. He welcomes guests that mainstream entertainment often avoids, and he lets conversations flow naturally with in-depth questions – rather than just repeating prepared statements. He’s built a huge audience by ignoring the usual rules of the industry.

That independence — not politics — is what gets him labeled, dismissed, and now snubbed.

A Category Supposedly About Entertainment… Without the Entertainment Podcast King

If Joe Rogan hadn’t been nominated in a political category at the Golden Globes, that wouldn’t have been so surprising. However, he was excluded from the entertainment categories despite hosting one of the biggest and most popular interview shows globally.

That contradiction exposes the truth:

The Golden Globes didn’t just address political issues—they used the idea of ‘politics’ as an excuse to keep certain people from being honored.

Since Rogan has the widest appeal of those left out, his exclusion is the most noticeable.

The message is clear: the Golden Globes deliberately avoided honoring someone known for their independent thinking, widespread popularity, and credibility outside of established institutions.

And that person — whether Hollywood likes to admit it or not — is Joe Rogan.

The Bottom Line

Look, the fact that Joe Rogan wasn’t invited to the Golden Globes isn’t just about politics, though I’m sure that factored in. What really struck me is that it feels like the established powers in Hollywood are trying to define who gets a seat at the table. It’s about these legacy institutions drawing a line in the sand and deciding who’s ‘in’ and who’s ‘out’ when it comes to being considered part of the entertainment world. It’s a power play, plain and simple.

Joe Rogan’s podcast is incredibly popular, sparking widespread discussions and surpassing traditional media in reach and effect. This influence seems to be the reason the Golden Globes haven’t recognized his work – he’s simply too prominent to overlook.

By pretending he belongs in a “political” category, the Globes avoided the real issue.

As a movie and podcast fan, it really struck me that Joe Rogan wasn’t nominated for a Golden Globe. It feels like Hollywood tends to ignore or punish people who aren’t willing to stick to the established narrative – they just don’t seem to appreciate independent voices.

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2025-12-09 17:59