In a sharp turn from his previous praise, Joe Rogan has taken an indirect shot at powerful billionaires like Elon Musk. While he didn’t take names, his comments might strike the Tesla CEO’s nerve. But what did Rogan say exactly?

“There’s no way there should be this kind of money in politics,” said Rogan during JRE #2482. “There’s no way it’d be good for anybody if the people with all the money are controlling most of the things that happen. It doesn’t make any sense because they’re just, they’re all sick anyway. They just want more.”

Rogan particularly questioned the involvement of billionaires in politics who throw massive amounts. For instance, take Elon Musk, who has a net worth of over $700 billion, as an example. The Tesla CEO formally entered politics by endorsing Donald Trump and donating over $100 million to the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign.

Not just that, he also utilized it by expanding his influence by becoming a key adviser for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in January 2025. However, a few months later, in May, he left that position following disagreements over federal spending.

Now, Rogan has not spoken out against Musk becoming a part of the Trump administration in particular. He just seemed not aligned with the general idea of any billionaire’s involvement in politics. But why?

“If you’re worth $200 billion and you’re still trying to make more money, that’s what you’re trying to do with your time. Well, you’re sick. There’s something wrong with you. There’s like, what are you doing with that money? How is it possible that you could spend all that money?… I feel poor when I’m around Elon,” Rogan added jokingly.

Well, it’s the chase for further wealth that bothered the UFC commentator. Now, despite having a good relationship with Musk, his recent comments come as a surprise, especially considering his previous defenses of billionaires.

Joe Rogan has argued that many billionaires work incredibly hard and build their companies from the ground up through effort and risk. He also suggested that if billionaires shared more of their wealth, people might hold them in less disdain. Therefore, his latest criticism may have arisen from a perception that some billionaires have not met this responsibility.

Now, considering the constant appearances of such prominent individuals on his podcast, can Rogan himself make a change around his theory against billionaires in politics? Maybe, maybe not. But when the Tesla CEO came to his show, he changed the UFC commentator’s mind about one particular factor.

When Elon Musk changed Joe Rogan’s mind about Donald Trump

Joe Rogan has been one of the veterans in the UFC community as a commentator. Over the years, he built strong camaraderie with many prominent individuals around the world. But when it came to Donald Trump, he was not quite like a supporter, although they met on various UFC events like UFC 290 in 2023.

However, that was before 2024. During the 2024 US presidential election campaigns, Rogan’s stance on Trump completely changed. And much of that credit seemingly goes to Elon Musk. And the UFC commentator made it quite clear while announcing his podcast episode with the Tesla CEO on November 5, 2024.

“The great and powerful @elonmusk,” wrote Rogan on X. “If it wasn’t for him, we’d be f*cked. He makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you’ll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way. For the record, yes, that’s an endorsement of Trump. Enjoy the podcast.”

Although he did not hold any grudges against Trump, Rogan just distanced himself whenever the topic of his matters arose. For instance, when the UFC commentator praised Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the only candidate who “makes sense” before the 2024 elections, he received flak from the republicans. So, this could be one of the reasons behind his centrist mindset.

However, all of that changed. RFK Jr. eventually backed out and supported Trump. Along with that, Elon Musk, another Republican, convinced Rogan to endorse Trump with the “most compelling” cases.

So, despite sharing the same ideology once, Rogan’s sly comments against Musk and Trump also tell a different story. But until the UFC commentator makes it direct, one cannot actually determine the exact motive behind the latest digs.