Joe Rogan Offers Scientist $100,000 To Debate Vaccines With RFK Jr. On His Show

Joe Rogan challenged a professor at Baylor College of Medicine Saturday to debate 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he claimed that Kennedy’s stance on vaccines was “misinformation.”

Kennedy has been an open opponent of some vaccines, most notably the COVID-19 shots that were rolled out after the pandemic, and appeared on Rogan’s show on June 15 to discuss everything from the controversial COVID-19 treatment ivermectin to vaccines to his uncle John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Dr. Peter Hotez slammed Spotify on Twitter after the episode was released for “Vaccine Misinformation,” prompting Rogan to challenge him to a debate.

“Spotify Has Stopped Even Sort of Trying to Stem Joe Rogan’s Vaccine Misinformation,” Hotez wrote Saturday. “It’s really true @annamerlan just awful. And from all the online attacks I’m receiving after this absurd podcast, it’s clear many actually believe this nonsense.”

Rogan responded on the social media platform later that day, calling the professor out for a debate on the subject.

“Peter, if you claim what RFKjr is saying is ‘misinformation’ I am offering you $100,000.00 to the charity of your choice if you’re willing to debate him on my show with no time limit,” Rogan said on Twitter.

Hotez replied to the proposal on Twitter, saying that Rogan had his contact information and could get in touch with him any time to talk. Hotez is the co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development in Houston and has been an avid supporter of not only the COVID-19 vaccines but vaccines in general, recently publishing a book titled “Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism.”

Kennedy has been called an “anti-vaxxer” and has argued that those who push the shots are attempting to “suspend critical thinking.” The 2024 candidate, who is also the founder of the anti-vaccine charity Children’s Health Defense, was also banned from Instagram in 2021 due to his posts about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Rogan and Hotez continued to go back and forth on Twitter, with Rogan repeatedly asking Hotez to give him a clear answer about whether he would agree to a debate. Rogan also tweeted a screenshot of a post that Hotez allegedly deleted, arguing that Rogan, Kennedy and Spotify should be willing to donate a $50 million endowment to make “low-cost patent-free vaccines for the world’s poor.”

Kennedy and Hotez did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.