Rogan falsely told his listeners that healthy, young people don't need to get the vaccine. Inside Edition spoke to an infectious disease expert about why getting vaccinated is important beyond keeping yourself safe.
Joe Rogan is under fire for spreading false, anti-vaccine information on his wildly popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Rogan told his young listeners that healthy, young people don’t need to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“If you're like, 21 years old, and you say to me, ‘Should I get vaccinated?’ I’ll go, ‘No.’” Rogan said.
“If you're a healthy person, and you're exercising all the time, and you're young, and you're eating well — I don't think you need to worry about this,” Rogan continued.
With 16 million listeners, Rogan’s show is the top podcast on Spotify.
“This kind of comment is very irresponsible, and it’s not really taking into consideration the reasons that we’re getting vaccinated, which are not only to prevent illness and death in individuals, but also to stop chains of transmission,” infectious disease expert Dr. Anne Rimoin told Inside Edition.
There is growing vaccine hesitancy across America, with up to 45 million people saying they don’t plan on getting vaccinated anytime soon. Celebrities like John Legend, who released a video of his own vaccination, are trying to counter the resistance.
