Podcaster Joe Rogan has criticized California's leadership and expressed concern over the state's direction, particularly in Los Angeles. Speaking with comedian Tim Dillon on his podcast, Rogan, a former California resident, compared the current state of Los Angeles to Detroit, citing the decline of its once-dominant entertainment industry.
"They overtaxed and overregulated their biggest industry to other states and other countries," Dillon said, noting a significant drop in major film production in the area. Rogan echoed this sentiment, criticizing what he called the "arrogance" of rhetoric from figures like Governor Gavin Newsom, who he believes dismisses the state's growing issues.
"He starts rattling off all these wonderful statistics and this is like instead of acknowledging, ‘Yeah we've got f---ing real problems. People are moving for the first time ever more than they're coming here. We're losing all these giant corporations that are leaving,’" Rogan stated, contrasting this with Newsom's "bullish on California" attitude.
Dillon described his perception of Los Angeles, saying, "Whatever it is, it's not what it was. And every place seems a little bit like a museum or like it was cool 20 years ago or 15 years ago." Rogan suggested that for Los Angeles to recover, a significant shift in its self-perception is necessary, moving from what he characterized as a focus on non-profits and an "empathy industry" to functioning more like a business.
When reached for comment, Newsom's office responded with a statement that appeared to parody former President Donald Trump, stating, "JOE ‘LITTLE GUY’ ROGAN IS TOO CHICKEN TO HAVE ME ON HIS FAILING PODCAST BECAUSE HE KNOW I'D CRUSH HIM, SO HE TAKES CHEAP SHOTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY AS HE GETS RELEGATED TO IRRELEVANCY. ALL TALK, NO ACTION. I'M READY WHEN YOU ARE, ‘LITTLE GUY.’ OR KEEP HIDING!!!!"