Chelsea Handler Blasts Joe Rogan’s $82M Podcast Salary: ‘Give That to Our Vets’

Chelsea Handler had thoughts after seeing Joe Rogan‘s massive podcast payday.

Forbes published its “Highest-Paid Podcasters of 2026” list to Instagram on Thursday, July 30, naming Rogan the top earner with an estimated $82 million in projected 2026 earnings from The Joe Rogan Experience.

Handler showed up in the comment section with a pointed question. “WHO IS PAYING JOE ROGAN 82 million?” Handler, 51, wrote. “Give that to our vets, or our children!!! 82 million to be completely uninformed and say ‘whoopsie doodle,’ every time he’s wrong, which is FREQUENT?”

Rogan isn’t a stranger to backlash. The 58-year-old faced scrutiny over the years for spreading COVID-19 misinformation on his show — a controversy that led musician Neil Young to pull his catalog from Spotify in protest, per Rolling Stone — as well as past use of racial slurs on air, for which he apologized in 2022, according to a BBC report. The Wall Street Journal reported that he signed a three-year deal with Spotify in 2024 worth up to $250 million, building on an original 2020 agreement.

Rogan wasn’t alone atop the list. Crime Junkie host Ashley Flowers came in at $42 million, the SmartLess trio of Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes landed at $37 million, and both Mel Robbins and New Heights hosts Jason and Travis Kelce tied at $35 million.

Forbes‘ Instagram comment section quickly filled with reactions to the list. “Looks like the same rich people that were rich before podcasting lol,” one commenter wrote. Another made a similar point at length: “Majority of that list are celebrities. Good for them but some of the best conversations that are happening on podcasts are from people you have never heard from.”

Several people zeroed in on the gender gap among the top earners. One commenter noted, “Way too many men on this list.” Someone else added, “And one day, a black woman will be up here.”

Rogan’s spot at the top drew its own pile-on beyond Handler’s comment. “J. Rogan continues to pollute the masses- alarming,” one person wrote, and another went further: “You couldn’t pay me to listen to a male talk about anything. Half the males listed share straight up quackery and misinformation. No wonder.”

Not every critique was aimed at gender or politics — some questioned the list’s credibility outright. “This list is not it, the bald and the beautiful podcast get way more views than most of these people. This list is propaganda for actors taking up more space,” one commenter argued.