The funniest factor to come back out of Joe Rogan’s new Netflix particular is the social media mocking it, however don’t child your self: CEO Ted Sarandos advantages from that, too.
Rogan, a 56-year-old podcaster (who, when choosing out a shirt for his return to stand-up, selected a shade finest described as Minion Vomit Yellow), has been referred to as numerous issues since “Burn the Boats” streamed dwell on August 3. According to his critics on X, he’s “unfunny,” “a bigot,” “the dumbest man on the planet,” “like if Charlie Brown grew up, did steroids, finished balding, and never went to therapy,” “a lapdog for billionaires,” “adult Caillou,” “proof that those D.A.R.E. videos about the dangers of weed might have made some valid points,” and “the Cybertruck of comedians.”
The progressive pile-on is objectively humorous and, at first look, appears to be like like a welcome counterbalance to the thousands and thousands of Rogan followers who make “The Joe Rogan Experience” the world’s biggest podcast. In the particular, Rogan aggressively mocks the LGBTQ neighborhood, punches down on the 7 million individuals who died of COVID, reminds fellow fearmongers concerning the asinine Pizzagate concept, and spreads a lot extra misinformation — all whereas claiming to be a great man. It’s grotesque, however par for the course for the data-driven streamer that proudly platforms transphobes like Dave Chappelle.
As residence to the world’s greatest stage in stand-up, Netflix has stated it received’t censor its expertise regardless of the fee. To his credit score, Sarandos places his cash the place his mouth is: Netflix signed nonbinary comic Hannah Gadsby to a multi-year deal in 2022… after they referred to as the corporate an “amoral algorithm cult” on Instagram. Playing either side is sensible when the controversy is the product.
There’s a recognizable press cycle round inflammatory Netflix specials: right-wingers flock to see their favourite mouthpieces pop off whereas indignant progressives meet the second on-line. Being funnier than the ignorant asshole in your telephone or TV can really feel like an enormous win for human decency within the second — however when does pushing again in opposition to one thing slide into giving it free publicity? In the age of ye olde algorithms, it is perhaps earlier than you suppose.
Streamers battle for eyeballs like every leisure enterprise. Netflix knowledge stays one of many greatest mysteries in Hollywood (regardless of a new biannual report illuminating subscribers’ most-watched content material), however stand-up is an simple success story. Through-the-roof numbers for Chappelle’s “The Dreamer,” launched on the very finish of December 2023, taught Netflix not solely that the controversial comic nonetheless had a loyal viewers, but in addition that our dependancy to outrage continues to be going robust. Chappelle’s “Sticks & Stones” from 2019, which predates the infamous “The Closer” however included its personal anti-trans rhetoric, remained the service’s most-watched hour as of November 2023.
Pre-existing fan bases, even these a lot smaller than Rogan’s, do properly for Netflix. Take Matt Rife, who confronted criticism for laughing at victims of home violence, kids with mental disabilities, and different susceptible teams. He additionally has 19 million followers on TikTookay and noticed his hour “Natural Selection” snag the title of most-watched Netflix special in 2023 with 13.5 million hours considered.
Google noticed a predictable spike in searches for Joe Rogan the day “Burn the Boats” dropped (and a 40% enhance in associated searches for the phrase “height”). It’s unimaginable to quantify the viewers who engages with Rogan from the skin, however the enterprise mannequin for his work is well-established. Disagreement creates cross-pollination between teams and that back-and-forth makes a good larger cultural second. Rage bait, adopted by backlash, is profitable.
Even if half the individuals who interact with the thought of Rogan don’t watch him on Netflix, they prop up the present’s existence by acknowledgment. A meme making enjoyable of Rogan may get 40,000 likes from individuals who disagree together with his views, however that’s nonetheless 40,000 interactions. That knowledge teaches any variety of algorithms that “Burn the Boats” is one thing people see as worthy of our time.
If you evaluate Rife, Rogan, and Chappelle to progressive comedians on the Netflix platform, the drop-off is steep. The progressive and genderqueer Gadsby’s newest hour “Something Special” is a sentimental set devoted to their accomplice, which graciously sidesteps the infamous Chappelle controversy. It netted simply 300,000 hours watched within the second half of 2023. “Something Special” was launched in May, so the report doesn’t account for the preliminary rush of subscribers at debut — however when in comparison with hyper-popular Taylor Tomlinson’s “Look at You” from 2022 (holding consideration nonetheless with 1.6 million hours watched within the second half of 2023), it’s a painful drop.
In Q1 2024 Netflix added 9.3 million subscribers, nearly double what business analysts anticipated. The streamer additionally posted $9.37 billion in income, outdoing its personal projection of $9.24 billion and defying Wall Street expectations of $8.73 billion. Factors in its success embody the infamous password-sharing crackdown and the service’s adoption of ads. But relating to the streamer’s stand-up slate, hatred wins.
So, ought to viewers who disagree with Rogan unsubscribe from Netflix? Maybe not.
Boycotts will be efficient in altering poisonous enterprise behaviors, however the tradition wars are too unwieldy to short-sheet from one facet. Netflix’s personal employees walked out on the company on the top of the Chappelle controversy, to no impact. And if progressives disavow the platform en masse, the comedy specials with kinder classes see even smaller audiences.
Rogan and Sarandos nonetheless money checks regardless of critics’ dreadful opinions of “Burn the Boats.” According to Rotten Tomatoes, audiences aren’t happy both. (Dear algorithm: If you’re crawling this, it’s an “F” from me, dawg.) Many of us might enjoyment of dogpiling Rogan’s creative failure on-line, however silence might be the stronger selection. Take it from famed optimist Stephen King.
In “It,” the child heroes study an vital lesson on the finish of their battle with Pennywise. Trapped in a sewer system suffering from the our bodies of kids who tried to battle again and misplaced, the Losers Club makes the courageous determination to not be afraid. By not believing within the monster, by not feeding the evil entity with the fear of their souls, they take away its energy. When it involves Joe Rogan, we don’t have to sharpen our quips or prepared our retorts. Instead, put up concerning the good comics making specials you consider in — and collectively, we’ll flip our again on this clown.
