Joe Rogan Experience #1865 - Aaron Rodgers
Narrator, Narrator, Joe Rogan (host), Aaron Rodgers (guest), Aaron Rodgers (guest), Aaron Rodgers (guest), Aaron Rodgers (guest), Aaron Rodgers (guest), Aaron Rodgers (guest), Aaron Rodgers (guest)
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Narrator and Narrator, Joe Rogan Experience #1865 - Aaron Rodgers explores aaron Rodgers Opens Up On COVID Backlash, Media, Health, Freedom Aaron Rodgers details his decision to avoid COVID vaccination due to a PEG allergy, the NFL’s strict protocols for unvaccinated players, and the media storm that followed his “immunized” comment. He and Joe Rogan criticize public health messaging, pharmaceutical influence, and political polarization around the pandemic. The conversation broadens into athlete health (painkillers, concussions, diet), societal control mechanisms, censorship of alternative views, and the psychological value of psychedelics. They close by reflecting on personal autonomy, kindness, and systemic incentives in politics, media, and sports.
Aaron Rodgers Opens Up On COVID Backlash, Media, Health, Freedom
Aaron Rodgers details his decision to avoid COVID vaccination due to a PEG allergy, the NFL’s strict protocols for unvaccinated players, and the media storm that followed his “immunized” comment. He and Joe Rogan criticize public health messaging, pharmaceutical influence, and political polarization around the pandemic. The conversation broadens into athlete health (painkillers, concussions, diet), societal control mechanisms, censorship of alternative views, and the psychological value of psychedelics. They close by reflecting on personal autonomy, kindness, and systemic incentives in politics, media, and sports.
Key Takeaways
Know and defend your individual medical risk factors before following broad mandates.
Rodgers cites a documented PEG allergy and J&J clotting concerns as core reasons to avoid mRNA vaccines, underscoring that blanket policies can’t safely account for individual contraindications.
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Be wary when dissenting scientific views are punished instead of debated.
The episode highlights how questioning vaccine transmission claims or discussing alternative treatments was labeled “misinformation,” which undermines the peer-review and challenge that real science requires.
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Media incentives often favor outrage and narrative over nuance and context.
Rodgers describes how outlets seized on his "immunized" comment and COVID toe rumor while ignoring daily testing, known status in the building, and his actual reasoning, illustrating click-driven coverage.
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Athletes should prioritize long-term health over short-term pain masking.
Stories about liberal opioid use, Toradol shots, and limited adoption of natural anti-inflammatories and CBD show that players must proactively seek safer modalities instead of relying solely on team protocols.
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Lifestyle changes—especially diet—can significantly reduce chronic inflammation.
Rodgers reports that cutting out most dairy and gluten after a knee cleanup eliminated 17 years of ongoing knee inflammation issues, suggesting dietary impact far beyond performance alone.
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Psychedelic experiences can radically shift ego, empathy, and priorities.
Rodgers and Rogan describe ayahuasca, DMT, and mushrooms as catalysts for ego dissolution, deeper connection, and reduced judgment, which they see as an antidote to online toxicity and polarization.
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Recognize how structural incentives shape policies—from lockdowns to policing.
They argue that small-business closures, pharma profits, civil-asset forfeiture, private prisons, and political donations all reflect systems designed around revenue and control rather than citizen well-being.
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Notable Quotes
“Science that can’t be questioned isn’t science anymore, it’s propaganda.”
— Aaron Rodgers
“If you saw me at the facility or at Barnes & Noble, you could be 100% sure I tested negative that morning.”
— Aaron Rodgers
“The same people that were telling you that you had to get jabbed are the same people that were telling you opioids were not addictive.”
— Joe Rogan
“Politics is fucking bullshit… left, right. It’s a sham, man.”
— Aaron Rodgers
“It’s actually selfish to be nice, because it feels great to be kind and generous.”
— Joe Rogan
Questions Answered in This Episode
How should leagues and employers design medical policies that respect individual risk profiles while still managing public health concerns?
Aaron Rodgers details his decision to avoid COVID vaccination due to a PEG allergy, the NFL’s strict protocols for unvaccinated players, and the media storm that followed his “immunized” comment. ...
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Where is the line between responsible content moderation and dangerous censorship when scientific understanding is still evolving?
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What concrete reforms could reduce pharmaceutical companies’ conflicts of interest while preserving incentives for drug innovation?
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How can professional sports systematically transition from opioid-centric pain management to safer, evidence-based alternatives?
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Could structured psychedelic therapy realistically be integrated into mainstream mental health care for athletes and the general public—and what safeguards would be needed?
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Transcript Preview
(drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast. Check it out.
The Joe Rogan Experience.
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. (instrumental music)
So it's good to see you, man.
Good to see you, man. Thanks for having me on.
How are you doing? My pleasure. How you doing?
I'm doing great. Yeah, it's been a interesting, uh, year or so, but man, it's been, it's been a good year.
What was the, the craziness like? Like when all the people were calling you a plague rat and ... (laughs)
(laughs)
I mean, it's, it's you and, uh, how do you say the guy's name? The tennis player?
Uh ...
Novak Djokovic.
Yeah, Djokovic. I mean, we talk about the healthiest human beings on earth, professional athletes.
He shouldn't play in the, in the US Open now-
Yeah. Yeah, I know.
... because of this.
Which is bananas. The guy's already had COVID, recovered from it. I think he had it twice.
Yeah.
And he's one of the best athletes in the world. I mean, the guy's body's in tip-top condition.
Tennis players are in incredible fitness.
Incredible.
Yeah.
Yeah. And, "No, you can't come. You didn't follow the rules." Like, it, it's, uh, it defies science, defies logic. It doesn't make any sense. None of it makes sense, especially at this stage of the, the pandemic, air quotes. I mean, what the fuck, man?
Yeah.
What was it like for you?
It, it was, it was really difficult, for sure, and a lot of different reasons. I think ... I knew that this was coming down, that at some point I was gonna talk about my status, because I'd chosen to not get vaxxed, for reasons that you talked about, uh, on your show and I talked about on, on-
We should just say it, because, uh, it's kind of important. You, you're allergic to a medication, or, or, uh, a part of the vaccine.
Right.
What is it called?
PEG, polyethylene glycol. And, uh ... So I did my research. Um, I, I, now, I think f- typically speaking, because I'm healthy and I take care of myself, um, getting vaccinated was not on the top of my list. But, you know, I wanted to look into it because everybody was doing it and talking about it and, and trying to be safe, and I wanted to make sure I was, you know, doing my part if that's what was necessary to keep myself safe and my loved ones safe and my teammates safe. Then I, I looked into it, and at the time, I went on the CDC website and they specifically said, you know, "If, if you're allergic to PEGs, we do, we do not recommend you get vaccinated with the MRNA vaccinations." So, the only other one available was Johnson & Johnson, and it had just got pulled at the time for blood clots. So, I looked into other options, which included, uh, an immunization process through a holistic doctor, and I researched and talked to probably a dozen different MDs and found a protocol that I felt like was, was the best available.
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