Joe Rogan is Moving to Texas, Says There’s More Freedom There
Podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan says he plans on moving to Texas. Rogan, who has come under fire recently for making contentious comments about face masks, claims that a big portion of his plan is thanks to having “more freedom” in a place like Texas, compared to California. However, it seems there could be another incentive in the mix — Rogan might be able to take advantage of some hefty tax breaks if he does move.
Joe Rogan wants to move to Texas
During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcaster and comedian claimed that he’s getting ready to ditch California and move to Texas.
Rogan said, “I’m going to go to Texas. I just want to go somewhere in the center of the country, somewhere where it’s easy to travel to both places and somewhere where you have a little bit more freedom.”
Rogan then went on to claim that California is overpopulated. He claimed, “Also, I think that where we live right here in Los Angeles is overcrowded. I think most of the time it’s not a problem. But I think it’s exposing the fact that it’s a real issue when you look at the number of people that are catching [COVID-19] because of this overpopulation issue. When you look at the traffic, you look at the economic despair, when you look at the homelessness problem that has accelerated radically over the last decade, I think there are too many people here.”
One topic Rogan didn’t address, however, is the major tax break he’d gain from moving to Texas. As reported by Newsweek, Rogan could enjoy a huge savings on individual income taxes, which are not gathered in Texas. On his $100 million Spotify deal, this could mean a savings of up to $13 million.
While it is unclear if this is something Rogan has factored into his decision to move, it would dovetail into the ongoing realization that many fans are having regarding Rogan’s gradual disconnect from the “common man” his podcast tends to shoot for.
Fans react to the news
Some fans of Joe Rogan think the podcaster will never actually move to Texas, because marijuana is not legalized in the state.
One Redditor wrote, “Answer: he’s not, and never will move to Texas. Why? Weed is a felony here and he couldn’t handle the heat. These same reasons apply to every other LA comedian saying the same thing.”
Another user pointed out that Rogan is probably aiming for the tax breaks, really. They added that they expect celebs will be less willing to go to Texas for the podcast, however. “You can buy a hell of a mansion and duck Cali taxes in Texas. How realistic is it to make celebrities fly out regularly to do the podcast though? Like they’ll fly out to NY or to LA to do an entire press junket, but to do one podcast and fly back?” they asked.
“Like 0.01% of the people threatening to leave California will actually do it,” joked another fan.
“I think he should stop whining. He’s still making about $75,000 per podcast, doing UFC commentary and living in his gated community,” pointed out another fan.
Joe Rogan facing increased criticism after mask comments
Meanwhile, Joe Rogan has been facing some backlash from fans after various comments he’s made about coronavirus and masks.
During an episode of his podcast starring Bill Burr, Rogan claimed that wearing a face mask is for “b*tches.”
Burr told Rogan, “I don’t want to start this bullsh*t. I’m not going to sit here with no medical degree, listening to you with no medical degree, with an American flag behind you, smoking a cigar, acting like we know what’s up better than the CDC. All I do is I watch the news once every two weeks. I’m like ‘Mask or no mask? Still mask? Alright, masks.’ That’s all I give a f**k about.”
Burr then added, “Oh God you’re so tough with your f*cking open nose and throat. Gee Joe, and your five o’clock shadow. This is a man right here! A man doesn’t wear a mask! Why does it always become like that, it always becomes the man versus the b*tch.”
Some fans were also riled up to find out that Joe Rogan was purchasing COVID-19 testing for all of his various guests and friends who appeared on the show. While some felt this was a valid safety precaution, others felt it was another example of Rogan’s wealth and influence at play.
