Joe Rogan suggested that the war in Iran may have been a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein files. He made this claim during a recent episode of his podcast while continuing his criticism of President Donald Trump.
On The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan talked about the matter with guest Arsenio Hall. He pointed out what he sees as a recurring pattern in politics. “The Epstein files come out, we go to war with Iran. It’s a good way to get people to stop talking about certain things,” Rogan stated, according to The Independent.
Rogan compared this situation to past U.S. political scandals, mentioning former President Bill Clinton. He referred to the 1999 NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, which happened during Clinton’s presidency.
He linked it to attempts to shift public attention during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Although Rogan did not provide evidence that the Iran conflict was started for this reason, he expressed his suspicions about the timing of these events.
Joe Rogan: the fact that no one’s being prosecuted for the Epstein Files shows the US is a “sick society.” Doesn’t specify who should be prosecuted, for what crime, or based on what evidence, but that’s nothing new. Also says Trump went to war with Iran over the Epstein Files pic.twitter.com/7FbFRjZCWM
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 9, 2026
These comments come as the Epstein files remain a topic of political interest. Trump’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein are well-documented. Trump has not faced any charges related to Epstein and has claimed that he ended their relationship years before Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
Rogan, who endorsed Trump for the 2024 election, has become more critical of the president recently as the situation in Iran has worsened. In previous podcast episodes, Rogan mentioned that he felt betrayed by Trump’s actions and some of Trump’s supporters felt disappointed by the decision to engage in the war, pointing out that Trump had promised to limit U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.
In a March episode, Rogan challenged Trump’s decision-making, stating the following: “You’re making decisions for babies and children and the future of the world,” he said. He made it clear that such decisions matter beyond the current political situation.
Joe Rogan on Donald Trump and the Iran War:
“It just seems so insane based on what he ran on. This is why a lot of people feel betrayed. He ran on no more wars and these stupid, senseless wars. And then we have one that we can’t even really clearly define why we did it.” pic.twitter.com/eg2bXFOiU0
— James Melville 🚜 (@JamesMelville) March 16, 2026
Rogan has also separated himself from parts of Trump’s political base. In comments reported by the publication, he stated that he does not identify with the MAGA movement and criticized some supporters who portrayed the Iran conflict in religious terms.
Polling mentioned in the report indicated that many in the MAGA wing of the Republican party still back Trump’s stance on Iran, even as some media figures who previously supported him have spoken out against the war. Rogan remains one of the most notable voices questioning the administration’s actions during this conflict.
His remarks contribute to the ongoing discussion about the timing and reasoning behind the Iran war and the political implications of the Epstein files. However, much of the focus has been on Israel’s role in convincing Trump to launch the attack.
Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided a justification for the US launching a war against Iran, stating that Israel was planning to strike the Middle East nation, which would have prompted Tehran to strike the US assets in the region, requiring Washington to launch preemptive strikes on Iran.
Rubio later attempted to walk back these comments, but critics believe it was a slip of the tongue. The Trump admin has not been clear about their motives or goals in the conflict, leading Rogan and others to speculate as to why the war was started to begin with.
