During a Sunday episode of his podcast Club Random with Bill Maher, renowned comedian Bill Maher hailed podcaster Joe Rogan as the modern-day equivalent of Larry King, capturing the essence of King’s legendary status.
The discussion arose while Maher engaged in a conversation with fellow comedian Kathy Griffin, who expressed her admiration for King and suggested that Anderson Cooper could have seamlessly continued his legacy in the coveted six o’clock hour.
“Joe Rogan is not exactly like Larry King, but each generation has its own version of that role,” remarked Maher via a transcript published on Mediate.
He emphasized that while there are differences between Rogan and King, Rogan’s massive audience surpasses that of King’s in its magnitude.
Comedian Kathy Griffin mentioned King’s tendency to conduct softball interviews. Maher agreed, stating, “I feel like Joe Rogan does something similar—not necessarily softball interviews, but he’s not seeking confrontation and is willing to give people a platform.” Maher further added, “Even those whom some form of establishment might criticize for speaking out.”
Griffin raised the question of why Joe Rogan wouldn’t be regarded as an “establishment.” In response, Bill Maher pointed out that Rogan possesses credentials and a willingness to host diverse guests, indicating his non-establishment nature. Maher drew a parallel, stating, “I would say he is our generation’s Larry King, similar to the transitions from Carson to Letterman, Leno, and Fallon. That show has evolved significantly.”
“What Joe does, he opens that mic like Larry did. Elon Musk will do that show and be like the biggest people in the world because they know of the reach. And I think also Joe earned that. It’s like this is just a regular guy smarter than the average bear, but is not gonna be intimidated first of all by you saying, don’t platform this guy or don’t listen to this and will let anybody speak and usually has a common sense view of it, of his own. You know, he’s a little to the right of where I am on things,” Maher said.
