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 a 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.
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, 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 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 a contestant on Fear Factor in an episode aired June 6th 2006 on NBC. In what appeared to be a self-defence situation, he placed him in a Muay Thai style headlock usually combined with upward kneeing to the face - however Joe did not follow-through with this.
Additional information
- 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 and Denis Leary are thieves and hacks. Also claimed Carlos Mencia stands in the back of the Comedy Store when Joe does standup there and copies his jokes. (Loveline appearance, June 6, 2006).
- 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 capoiera. [2]
On the issue of Joe Rogan's competitive background as four time Massachusetts State Champion in TKD, and US Open TKD champion, Grand Master Jae H. Kim, Head instructor of TKD Boston, and Joe Rogan's instructor, elaborates more specifically on his TKD competitive career in this email (Richard Smith is also an instructor at TKD Boston):
External links
- JoeRogan.net — Official Site
- / My Space- Joe Rogan My Space
- Fear Factor — Official Site
- Various video clips featuring Joe Rogan on Sacred Cow Productions' website