“It Was Nuts!”: Years Before $200 Million Spotify Deal, Joe Rogan Recalls Wild Interaction About JRE With Massive Crowd That Made Him Go “Holy Sh*t”

UFC commentator Joe Rogan first realized the extent of JRE’s popularity when he had an amusing interaction with a crowd over a decade back. Ever since its launch in 2009, JRE became a sensation that exploded exponentially in subsequent years. Billed as the most popular podcast on the planet, JRE serves everything under the sun. But the host wasn’t aware of the cultural phenomenon he had created until he decided to engage with a crowd.

JRE remains a staple source of entertainment for its loyal listeners. It burst up the charts and kept multi-folding its listeners’ base. As a result, the standup comic reaped the rewards when Spotify chose to splash $200 million to pick up exclusive rights to the podcast. While the standup comic never paid attention to the numbers, an incident around 2012 turned his head when a crowd consisting of 3700 admitted to listening to JRE.

Joe Rogan failed to fathom the popularity of JRE

The color commentator, in a conversation with Oil and Whiskey, disclosed he worked on the podcast without looking at the numbers or the downloads. When asked when he first understood the acclaim of JRE, he failed to pinpoint an exact timeline. He stated, “I don’t know, man. It’s somewhere around 2012 or 2013 and started really getting nuts.” 

PASADENA, CA – AUGUST 14: Comedian Joe Rogan performs during his appearance at The Ice House Comedy Club on August 14, 2014 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Michael Schwartz/WireImage)

Narrating a decade-old incident in Chicago, he said. “I remember I have this bit where I was talking about something that happened on the podcast and so I had to explain it and I said ‘how many folks listen to the podcast’ and there’s 3700 people in that place and they just went ‘Yeah!'”

“And I remember going ‘oh, sh*t’. Like I expected a few people to ‘yeah, we listen’, but I didn’t know how many people listened. It was nuts and I remember being on stage going ‘oh no’. Like what the f*ck?” he added later.

JRE is a hit with the audience due to its more expansive conversation tones, diverse guest list, and the sense of authenticity Rogan and the guests bring to the long conversation. Therefore, the podcast just kept getting bigger.

Rogan wonders whether they’ll be toppled

The comedian then pointed out JRE held the number one slot in 96 countries. He expressed, “It’s crazy, and it’s been number one for f*cking years. I keep telling Jamie, my producer, when is somebody gonna beat us?”

Besides, Rogan mentioned he did nothing different and all he did was talk with people.

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What do you think of this revelation by UFC commentator Joe Rogan? Do you also tune in and check every JRE episode? Let us know in the comments below.

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