CNN medical analyst rips Joe Rogan’s 'nonsense' mix of 'folk remedies' for battling COVID

On Don Lemon Tonight Wednesday, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner ripped into influential podcast host Joe Rogan, who released a video earlier in the day in which he revealed that he has COVID-19, and has tried multiple unproven and disproven treatments to fight it, including the horse de-wormer Ivermectin.

In the video, Rogan says, “Turns out I got COVID, so we immediately threw the kitchen sink at it. All kinds of meds. Monoclonal antibodies, Ivermectin, Z-Pak, Prednisone, everything.”

“He’s, again, causing a great deal of public disservice when he describes a completely jumbled, sort of self-created medical regimen that he's on right now,” Reiner said in response, later adding, “He’s promoting, kind of a crazy jumble of, you know, sort of folk remedies and internet-prescribed drugs. It's, again, dangerous now. He should have more sense after encountering the disease. And again, I hope he does well and gets well quickly. He’s not helping matters when he promotes this sort of nonsense therapeutic mix.”

Video transcript

JONATHAN REINER: He's again, causing a great deal of public disservice when he describes a completely jumbled sort of self-created medical regimen that he's on right now.

KYLIE MAR: On Don Lemon Tonight Wednesday, CNN medical analyst, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, laid into an influential podcast host, Joe Rogan, who revealed earlier in the day that he has COVID-19. In the video Rogen also admitted to taking multiple unproven drugs to treat it, including the horse de-wormer, Ivermectin.

JOE ROGAN: Turns out I got COVID. So we immediately threw the kitchen sink out, all kinds of meds, monoclonal antibodies, Ivermectin, Z-Pak, prednisone, everything.

KYLIE MAR: Rogan has walked back anti-vaccine comments in the past, and may do the same in this case. As Dr. Reiner said, Rogan's mix of medicines is complete nonsense.

JONATHAN REINER: He's promoting kind of a crazy jumble of, you know, sort of folk remedies and internet-prescribed drugs. It's again, dangerous now. He should have more sense. He's not helping matters when he promotes this sort of nonsense therapeutic mix.

KYLIE MAR: Rogan is just the latest in a string of COVID skeptics to be stricken by the virus, which Dr. Reiner hopes will compel him to push vaccination.

JONATHAN REINER: The people that are listening to him are the least vaccinated group in the United States, sort of this 18 to 30-year-old group, people who think they're invulnerable, who have listened to him, and who have decided they don't need to be vaccinated. He has the ear of these people. He could be a force for vaccinating this country, for putting the virus down.

KYLIE MAR: Rogan recently reached a huge deal with Spotify, and reaches millions of people over multiple platforms. And Don Lemon believes he has a responsibility to tell the truth about COVID.

DON LEMON: As someone who has that huge a platform-- what does he have? 13 million followers on Instagram, and however many people listen to his podcast-- he has a responsibility to tell people the truth, and to help people. Quite honestly, in this environment when there's a global pandemic, to tell people to get vaccinated, to keep themselves healthy.