Joe Rogan is no stranger to controversy. His ability to ask tough questions and hold strong opinions has made him both loved and hated by audiences. And as a podcaster, he often finds himself in heated debates and confrontations. One of the recurring themes in ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ is freedom of speech, which has become a controversial issue in the age of social media. Particularly in the context of hate speech and what is considered acceptable.

In a recent episode, the UFC commentator recounted a conversation he had long ago with a YouTube executive, where he asked the exact question that’s now at the center of the debate: What constitutes hate speech? However, what started as a civil discussion quickly turned into a heated confrontation. And Rogan‘s wife had to step in and put the brakes on the confrontation.

In episode #1940 of the JRE, Joe Rogan was joined by Racket’s Matt Taibbi, and they discussed a variety of topics, including the ever-relevant issue of freedom of speech. During their conversation, Joe Rogan recounted an incident from 2015 or 2016, when he attended a big party and got into a heated argument with a YouTube executive over the definition of hate speech.

Read more: WATCH: Joe Rogan Chokes Out a ‘Crazy’ Guy in the Streets After a Heated Argument

According to the 55-year-old, the conversation quickly turned into a full-blown altercation, with the YouTube executive exhibiting a level of arrogance that only served to fuel his passion for the topic.

Joe Rogan went off on an arrogant YouTube executive

Joe Rogan told Matt Taibbi, “I have a good friend, who used to be an executive at Google and we were at a party and there was me and my wife and this lady, who was one of the bigwigs at YouTube…. And she’s, you know, asking me about podcasting and this and that.”

He continued, “We’re having this conversation and I say, ‘How does YouTube decide, like, what get’s marked as bad?‘”

While talking about the incident, the UFC commentator mentioned that someone added a conversation between two public intellectuals, Sam Harris and Douglas Murray, to their YouTube playlist. However, despite not having created the content themselves, the individual received a strike against their channel for sharing it. Which, for Rogan, was concerning.

Top Stories

UFC Cuts Ties With Six Fighters Heading Into CBS-Paramount Era

Is Wife Giorgina Uzcategui Richer Than Ilia Topuria? All About Her Net Worth, Career, and Lifestyle

Who Is Arman Tsarukyan’s Father? Nairi Tsarukyan’s Net Worth, Profession & Businesses

Alex Pereira’s White House Announcement Has Fans Turning On Dana White as Donald Trump’s UFC Plans Hit a Snag

Arman Tsarukyan Reveals if Dana White Almost Fired Him as He Targets Jake and Logan Paul Fight

Then Joe Rogan said, “And I said to that, ‘Why would that be? [And] she goes, ‘Because it was hate speech’. And so I go, ‘How did you just say that?’ I go, ‘How did you say it was hate speech? Do you know the content of the conversation? You talking about two public intellectuals. And you just said it was hate speech.'”

He added, “And my wife is like squeezing my knee. She sees I’m getting red.”

Watch this story: “World’s Most Embattled Person” Jordan Peterson Discloses To Joe Rogan How He Gets Treated In “Real Life”

Speaking of the YouTube executive, he said, “She was just like this, arrogance, because she was in this position of power where she could say, ‘That’s hate speech, that’s not hate speech’.”

Having said that, Joe Rogan‘s willingness to engage in spirited debates sometimes leads to confrontational situations. However, this same conversational curiosity is what makes him and the JRE such a compelling resource for audiences.