Joe Rogan and his guest Tim Dillon mocked The Spectator’s associate editor Douglas Murray for “war tourism” on a recent episode of his podcast.
“Hopefully they do this, this peace in the Middle East, hopefully,” comedian Tim Dillon segued for a discussion on the Israel-Gaza war. “Hopefully, they figure it out because it is unfortunate,” he continues.
“Yeah, it’s f***ing crazy,” Rogan says.
“The human toll is unreal, you know it’s crazy,” Dillon says while maintaining a serious tone.
The American comedian then digresses to refer to a spat that unfolded between Rogan, his close friend Dave Smith, and Murray.
“There is an argument to be made that that level of devastation and death is worse than you talking to someone on your podcast,” Dillon says deadpan.
“Allegedly”, Rogan chimes back.
“There is an argument to be made. It’s probably not a good one,” the comedian says.
“The amount of damage you can do with just talking,” Rogan admits while speaking over Dillon.
“There is an argument to be made that starvation and stuff like that, people dying, is worse than a podcast. I wouldn’t make it,” Dillon goes on to state, before erupting into laughter.
Rogan then fires a quick jibe at British pundit Murray.
“Have you BEEN there?” Rogan mocks, “Have you even, you haven’t even BEEN?” he stabs at his previous guest, Murray.
Dillon then proceeds to mock the British journalist for “war tourism” by asking, “Can you just go to wars?”
“It’s very interesting, this war tourism. How do I get on this war tourism?” Dillon goads.
Murray’s position, when he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, was that in order to have an opinion about a country you should visit it.
“Have you been to the crossing points?” Murray was heard asking Smith while discussing the Middle Eastern conflict on an episode aired on April 10.
“No. I have never been,” Smith says.
Murray, a neoconservative commentator who has recently published a book on the ramifications of the Israeli-Palestinian war, went on to berate Smith.
“You’ve never been!” Murray said.
Smith fired back: “Am I not allowed to talk about it now? Have you ever been to Nazi Germany? Are you allowed to have feelings about them?”
“If you’re going to spend a year and a half talking about a place, then you should at least do the courtesy of visiting it.”
Murray chastised the pair by stating that it was “a good idea to see stuff, particularly if you spend an entire career talking about something.”
He then concludes by saying that he will not talk about a country even impartially unless he’s visited it himself.
Murray has since written a scathing op-ed in The New York Post, fuming over Rogan’s guests being “almost entirely anti-Ukraine and anti-Israel,” and attacked the hosts for spreading misinformation about the two conflicts.
“Many [guests on the show] are also people who are simply in no way experts at what they are talking about,” Murray wrote Thursday.
The Independent contacted Murray, Rogan, and Dillon for comment.
