Joe Rogan was noticeably taken aback during a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience when the topic of conversation took quite an unusual turn. What began as a discussion with American fitness trainer Jillian Michaels about increased cancer rates among young people quickly became focused on a controversial internet personality. But who? Well, it was none other than Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Bregoli, who recently had cosmetic surgery after being diagnosed with a rare blood malignancy. But why was the UFC commentator taken aback by her cancer diagnosis?

The UFC commentator’s confusion was not only about the diagnosis but also about the timing and subsequent decisions made by the rapper. “It says she’s currently battling chronic myeloid leukemia… Criticized for getting cosmetic surgery while battling disease—which is pretty crazy. Is that really true?” Rogan asked as he read the information from an online article. The problem, according to Joe Rogan, was not just the diagnosis but also the fact that someone claiming to be fighting cancer was having elective surgery and flaunting it online, making it difficult to tell what was real. “She’s a little bit kooky, right?” the JRE host said, attempting to make sense of the situation.

Jillian Michaels, who appeared alongside Rogan on the episode, did not directly defend Bhad Bhabie but made a broader argument. Her concern was more about the alarming increase in cancer diagnoses among young folks than with the internet drama itself. Michaels mentioned her daughter, who watches Bhad Bhabie, and how the news of her cancer had come surprisingly close to home. It was a moment that emphasized her point: these illnesses are no longer distant concerns; they are affecting young faces and younger generations emotionally and psychologically. Michaels backed up her statement with sharp statistics. According to her, “the rate of early onset cancer diagnosis in people 18-49 has gone up 79%  over the past two decades”—a figure that is more than a talking point.

Whether Bhad Bhabie’s case is real or not, Michaels argued, the cultural conversation it sparked was still worth having. She said, “So, if in fact Bhad Bhabie is being untruthful and deceitful, those statistics are real.” But what about the cure? Well, this wasn’t the first time that cancer was discussed on the podcast, and earlier this year, Hollywood star Mel Gibson claimed on JRE that his friend was cured of stage 4 cancer through two miracle meds.

Mel Gibson makes a massive claim on Joe Rogan’s podcast

The cancer conversation on Joe Rogan’s podcast did not begin with Bhad Bhabie. Mel Gibson shook the JRE studio in January with his eye-opening revelation. Sitting opposite Rogan, Gibson said, “I have three friends. All three of them had stage four cancer. All three of them don’t have cancer right now at all—and they had some serious stuff going on,” adding that Joe Rogan knew what they had taken to cure themselves. It was one of those instances when even the JRE host, who had heard everything, leaned in closer. When the podcaster asked, “Ivermectin? Fenbendazole?” the star of Braveheart nodded.

Gibson also mentioned “hydrochloride something” and “methylene blue”, blending anecdote with conviction. “This stuff works, man.” Medical professionals, however, swiftly dismissed Gibson’s statements as misleading, if not dangerous.

Per Anticancer Fund, both ivermectin and fenbendazole are antiparasitic drugs that have shown anti-cancer properties in early laboratory findings. That being said, Anticancer Fund claims that “much more conclusive proof is needed before we can say whether these drugs are safe and effective as cancer treatment.” Mel Gibson brought emotion to the table, not evidence, and for those dealing with illness in real life, that difference matters more than ever. What do you think? Do you believe in his miracle medications? Let us know in the comments.