Joe Rogan Net Worth

Last Updated on January 7, 2024
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

Comedian, actor, and UFC commentator Joe Rogan comes from a long tradition of Boston stand-up: he’s outspoken, incredibly vulgar, and very funny. Inspired by comics such as Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks, Rogan is not afraid to tackle potentially taboo subjects such as religion, politics, or terrorism.

A bodybuilder and a trained martial artist, Rogan is also one of the most physically intimidating comedians working today.

What is Joe Rogan’s net worth?

The American UFC commentator, podcast host, comedian, martial arts expert, and actor, Joe Rogan has a net worth of $120 million at the time this article is written. He first became famous as a cast member of the comedy series “News Radio”. After that, he was the host of Comedy Central’s “The Man Show” and the reality show “Fear Factor”. Currently, Joe Rogan is a UFC commentator and hosts one of the most powerful and successful podcasts in the world.

Childhood and teenage years

Joseph James Rogan was born in Newark, New Jersey on August 11, 1967, and is of Irish and Italian origin. Rogan’s parents divorced when he was only five years old and he didn’t talk to his father until the age of seven. His father worked as a police officer in Newark. Joe declared in several interviews that he remembers his childhood home as a place full of scenes of domestic violence. His family moved to San Francisco when he was seven years old and at the age of eleven, they moved again to Gainesville, Florida. Finally, they settled in Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts.

When he was 15 years old, Joe Rogan took up taekwondo, and at 14, he learn karate. He won the U.S. Open Championship taekwondo tournament as a lightweight at the age of 19.

In 1985 Joe graduated from Newton South High School. He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Boston but left it before graduation.

When he was 24 years old, Joe moved to New York City to follow his dream of building a stand-up career. Before that, he lived in Boston.

Salary highlights

It is estimated that in 2017 Joe Rogan made $5 million per year from his podcast.

In May 2020, just before signing an exclusive deal with Spotify, it was believed that Rogan was earning $20 million per year from his podcast between YouTube revenue and sponsor reads.

You might also like our articles about the net worth of Judge Judy, Jay Leno, or Pat Sajak.

It is important to mention that the podcast is only one of many income sources for Rogan. He still works for UFC as a commentator and performs sold-out standup shows across the country.

Also, between 2001 and 2006 he made millions of dollars as the host of the television series “Fear Factor”.

Real estate

Joe Rogan bought a house in Bell Canyon, California in Ventura County for $5 million in October 2019. In 2003 he spent $2.2 million on another house in Bell Canyon in the same area.

He listed the house bought in 2019 for $3.2 million in October 2020.

Joe paid $14.4 million for a house in Austin, Texas in September 2020.

Spotify agreement

Joe Rogan signed a multi-year licensing deal with Spotify on May 19, 2020. So, Spotify became Rogan’s video and audio feeds exclusive home and all his archived episodes from iTunes and YouTube have been removed.  The deal terms have not been made public. But to make a comparison, one month before, Spotify purchased Bill Simmon’s podcast network, which is much smaller than Rogan’s, for $190 million upfront and another $50 million per year in continuing content expenses.

If we assume that Rogan was earning anywhere between $20 million and $30 million per year before the Spotify deal and he signed a three-year deal, then his Spotify agreement was worth a minimum of $100 million.

In February 2022 it was announced that Rogan’s Spotify contract was worth much more than presumed. Actually, his three-year deal pays $200 million. So, he earns $67 million per year for the Spotify deal. However, it must be said that this value also includes the production costs.

For instance, if you hear that Howard Stern has signed a $500 million contract, this doesn’t mean that all of this money goes into his pocket.  Most does, but there are also costs with the co-stars and production staff. As you probably know, Joe doesn’t spend too much on production and it is safe to assume that the Spotify salary is a minimum of $60 million per year, maybe almost $65 million per year.

Comedy and acting career

Joe Rogan moved to Los Angeles in 1994, where he booked his first spot on national television. At the MTV comedy show “Half-Hour Comedy Hour” Rogan was able to present his standup comedy, which he had worked at in New York City. The same year, Joe played Frank Valente in the sitcom “Hardball”, that aired on Fox for 9 episodes. For 13 years Rogan performed at The Comedy Store in Hollywood for free thanks to owner Mitzi Shore.

Between 1995 and 1999 Joe Rogan starred in the NBC show “News Radio”, where he played the role of Joe Garelli, the handyman and electrician of the sitcom’s fictional news radio station.

Between 2001 and 2006 Joe was the host of the NBC American edition of “Fear Factor”. He resumed this job in 2011 for the final season.

Rogan was the new co-host of “The Man Show” on Comedy Central between 2003 and 2004.

Joe Rogan played his major acting role in the movie “Zookeeper” in 2011.

He was the host of the TV show “Joe Rogan Questions Everything” on the SciFi network in 2013. During this show, which run for six episodes, he was talking about topics such as UFOs and Bigfoot.

Joe Rogan’s books

Joe Rogan wrote four books:

1. 2006: Mastering the Rubber Guard: Jiu-Jitsu for Mixed Martial Arts Competition
2. 2007: Mastering the Twister: Jiu-Jitsu for Mixed Martial Arts Competition
3. 2010: Talking Monkeys in Space
4. 2020: The Conversation That Broke the Internet

Podcast Career

Joe Rogan launched a free podcast together with his friend, the comedian Brian Redban, in December 2009. His podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” is basically a series of rambling conversations, often about whiskey and weed, on topics including, but not limited to: comedy, cage fighting, psychedelics, quantum mechanics, and the political excesses of the left.

UFC commentating career

Joe started to work for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a post-fight and backstage interviewer. On February 7, 1997, Joe took his first UFC interview at UFC 12: Judgement Day. He was offered a job as a color commentator by the UFC’s then-new president Dana White, with whom he became friends. Though, initially, he had declined it.

Dana White finally convinced Rogan to accept the job in 2002 for free. In exchange, he was offered tickets to the event for himself and his friends. He accepted to be paid for the UFC commentator job after around 15 free gigs.

World MMA Awards named Joe Rogan the MMA Personality of the Year four times. Also, he won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award for Best Television Announcer twice.

Private life

In 2009 Joe Rogan got married to Jessica Ditzel, who is a former cocktail waitress. The couple has two daughters, one born in 2008 and one in 2010. Also, Ditzel has another daughter from a previous relationship.

Rogan holds a blue belt in Judo and black belts in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Taekwondo.

When he discovered he was balding he wasn’t very happy with the idea and tried several methods to solve it, from medication to hair transplants.

Joe Rogan publicly supports the use of recreational and medical drugs such as DMT, mushrooms, and cannabis. It is believed that he has an isolation tank at his home, that stimulates the natural production of DMT. Also, he appeared in a documentary called “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High”.

How tall is Joe Rogan?

Joe Rogan has a height of 5 feet and 8 inches.

Political views

Although Rogan is a particularly vocal commentator who regularly discusses the intricacies of American politics with guests on his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience”, he is not affiliated with any political party.

Rogan has described himself as “socially liberal” on welfare and immigration, but also “conservative” due to his “pragmatic” view on economic issues such as universal basic income, for which he has expressed support.

In 2020 Rogan claimed that the Democratic Party had “made us all idiots” and that he would not vote for former Vice President Joe Biden, saying “I’d rather vote for Trump”.

Away from mainstream politics, Rogan has also been accused of promoting transphobic attitudes. In his interview with Abigail Shrier, author of “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Madness Seducing Our Daughters”, his guest compared gender transition to eating disorders and self-harm.

Rogan’s political beliefs are hard to pinpoint, and his conservative leanings are often balanced by his liberal views and support for progressive causes such as gay marriage, universal health care, and the legalization of some substances. In fact, during a live interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the two smoked and drank whiskey, reinforcing the host’s conviction for the legalization campaign.