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Podcaster Joe Rogan criticized the American media for focusing on late-night host Jimmy Kimmel instead of what he called a dangerous erosion of free speech in the United Kingdom.
Kimmel’s comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin led to his show being briefly suspended, sparking a wave of backlash as an example of censorship.
Rogan argued that focusing on a single talk-show host was a distraction from what he described as the U.K. and Europe’s crackdown on speech. The British government has faced criticism for its proposed digital ID mandate, which detractors warn could be used for government control.
Rogan pointed to the reported 12,000 arrests a year for social media posts in the U.K. “The fact that our mainstream media is relatively silent on this is insane,” Rogan said. “You’re seeing a complete total attack on one of the most fundamental principles of the Western world, which is your ability to express yourself…”
Joe Rogan called out the media for focusing people on a single talk show host rather than the erosion of free speech as governments crack down on dissent in the western world. (Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images)
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“These people are not calling for violence,” Rogan added. “They’re being arrested for wild things. People are being arrested for liking posts. Some people were investigated for viewing posts. Twelve thousand people arrested by the police in the U.K., the same place that just implemented digital ID. I mean, this is an Orwell nightmare coming to life right in front of our face, and no one’s flinching.”
He argued that Americans are more outraged about talk-show commentary than the loss of civil liberties in the English-speaking world.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been blasted by numerous public figures for his leftist policies. ( Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
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“No one in America is freaking out about what’s happening in the UK at all. I mean, you get people online that are kind of freaked out by it, but they’re way more freaked out by nonsensical things like whether-or-not what Jimmy Kimmel said in his monologue was offensive,” he said.
Rogan argued that the Kimmel controversy gave Americans the illusion of power while governments abroad quietly expanded their control. He compared the British government’s restrictions to a wrestling “choke-hold,” saying citizens risk losing their basic freedoms. The U.K. has been sharply divided over free speech in recent years, especially on issues such as mass migration and gender ideology.
Some of those divisions surfaced during the “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London, which drew tens of thousands of protesters on Sept. 13, 2025, waving Union Jack and St. George’s flags near Parliament.
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Protesters wave the Union Jack and St. George’s England flags during the “Unite The Kingdom” rally on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on Sept. 13, 2025, in London, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images))
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