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Rogan says he warned comedian against Puerto Rico joke before NYC Trump rally

By Ashleigh Fields - 10/31/24, 10:42 AM EDT

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Podcaster Joe Rogan suggested Wednesday that he advised his comedian friend, Tony Hinchcliffe, against using a joke about Puerto Rico in his set ahead of former President Trump's recent rally at Madison Square Garden.

“I tell all comedians, don’t ever do comedy at something that’s not a comedy event," he said on his podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience," according to a clip highlighted by Mediaite. "Don’t do it."

"Don’t ever do comedy at a place that’s doing ‘also.’ Is he going to have a bunch of speakers and you’re going to do 10 minutes? Don’t ever do that. It’s a terrible setup," he added.

Hinchcliffe often records his own podcast Kill Tony at Rogan’s Comedy Mothership venue in Austin, Texas.

The podcaster's comments come just days after Hinchcliffe compared Puerto Rico to a "floating island of garbage" amid other controversial remarks during the rally in New York City, which elicited mixed reactions from the crowd.

Rogan claimed the joke originated from facts, citing Puerto Rico’s massive landfills that he said were created by devastating hurricanes on the island. 

“That joke kills at comedy clubs. I don’t like the joke, but it kills, and I said to him, it’s just like, if you’re Puerto Rican and you hear that in the audience, you’re like, 'ahhh,' but it’s a funny joke, the joke does well,” Rogan said. “But I said to him, I go, dude, that’s the one that’s going to get you stabbed.”

The initial joke earned public criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, who claimed the comments were offensive. Despite the fallout, the comedian hammered down on his quip, arguing that some can't take a joke, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (Minn.).

“These people have no sense of humor,” Hinchcliffe wrote on social platform X, responding to their criticism. “Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist.”

“I love Puerto Rico and vacation there,” he continued. “I made fun of everyone … watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim … might be time to change your tampon.”

After days of headlines and segments on his rally performance, Rogan said he thinks the situation will “blow over.”

“I think it’ll blow over just like all these things do," he said. "There are people that are always going to hate someone like Tony and it’s going to make other people love him more."

“It’s just, like, he’s going through it right now. He’s going through the storm," the podcaster added.

The back-and-forth also follows a nearly three-hour interview earlier this week between Rogan and the former president, marking one Trump's debut on one of the most popular podcasts in the country.

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