Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan, 58, has just been named the top-earning podcaster of 2026 by Forbes.
“The Joe Rogan Experience,” which the former comedian records at his $14.4 million home in Austin, TX, paid Rogan an estimated $82 million between June 2025 and June 2026.
Widely regarded as one of the most successful podcasts in the world, “The Joe Rogan Experience” took home $12 million more in earnings than the second-place podcast, which was OpenAI’s “TBPN” (Technology Business Programming Network), earning $70 million.
Following “TBPN” was Steven Bartlett’s “Diary of a CEO” at $45 million, Ashley Flowers’ “Crime Junkie” at $42 million, and “Smartless” at $37 million.
Forbes’ estimations were calculated based on interviews with agents, lawyers, managers, executives, and other experts and did not take into consideration any shows that were broadcast live, only distributed on YouTube, or later syndicated.
The calculations are an estimate of the total amount earned by the podcaster or through their business, including revenue sharing, platform fees, and other live events.
The estimates are also supposed to represent the podcaster’s pretax earnings for specifically podcast-related work.
The news of Rogan’s top spot on the list sparked outrage online.
“WHO IS PAYING JOE ROGAN 82 million?” comedian Chelsea Handler commented on Forbes’ Instagram post. “Give that to our vets, or our children!!! 82 million to be completely uninformed and say ‘whoopsie doodle,’ every time he’s wrong, which is FREQUENT?”
Rogan has interviewed a range of A-list celebrities, including Edward Snowden, Neil deGrasse Tyson, J.D. Vance, and Bernie Sanders.
Before launching his podcast in 2009, Rogan was a UFC commentator. By 2015, he became one of the most popular podcasters.
In 2020, Rogan moved from California to his Lake Austin home, where he built a custom studio to record his show. The move came after Rogan secured an estimated $100 million deal with Spotify to exclusively broadcast his show.
However, in February 2024, Rogan reportedly signed a $25 million agreement with Spotify that allowed him to broadcast his podcast on other platforms, such as Apple and YouTube.
That same year, Rogan opened up about how he chose to relocate to Texas because of California’s strict COVID-19 restrictions.
“Everything’s shut down, everything’s staying shut down,” Rogan recalled of the pandemic in California. “All my friends that were in the restaurant industry were struggling.
“I started looking out here in May [of that year], and I went to a restaurant with my kids, and they were like, ‘We don’t have to wear a mask? We could eat at a restaurant?’ Then we went to the lake, and people are playing music and jumping in the water, and [my children] were like, ‘We want to live here!’ That was it. Two months later I lived here.’
Rogan’s 11,000-square-foot mansion sits on 4 acres and has access to 300 feet of the Lake Austin frontage. Built in 2008, the dwelling features eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.
The abode also includes a formal dining room, a dual-island kitchen accompanied by a casual eating area, a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, an office, and a gym. There are also three docks, a pool, and terraces surrounding the property.
Rogan’s Instagram account reveals he’s made several upgrades to the mansion, including adding a cold plunge tub and a sauna.
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