Joe Rogan’s Worst JRE Episode: Zahi Hawass Interview
Joe Rogan called his May 2025 interview with Egyptologist Zahi Hawass the worst episode of The Joe Rogan Experience he had done. The two-hour conversation became contentious as they discussed ancient Egypt, pyramid construction and claims about structures beneath the Giza Plateau.
The episode, JRE #2321, was released on May 14, 2025. Hawass is an Egyptian archaeologist and Egyptologist who formerly served as the country’s minister of antiquities. In later comments with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Rogan said the interview had been “the worst podcast I have ever done,” while allowing that it might also have been a good episode.
Why the conversation turned contentious
The discussion covered Hawass’s career and archaeological work, as well as questions about how the pyramids were built. Rogan also asked about a disputed claim based on satellite imaging that proposed hidden structures beneath the Giza Plateau. Hawass rejected the claim and said he had consulted imaging experts. Coverage of the episode described a tense exchange in which Hawass challenged Rogan’s questions and emphasized his own research.
Rogan’s description identified Hawass’s May interview as the episode he disliked most; it was not an unnamed guest story. His criticism focused on how the conversation unfolded and Hawass’s approach to the questions.
Hawass’s response
Hawass responded to criticism after the episode drew attention in Egypt. In an interview with The National, he argued that Rogan had not read his book before the interview and said the host’s questions focused on subjects he had long dismissed as pseudoscience. Hawass defended his confidence and said his research had established how the pyramids were built. This response adds context: the disagreement involved both the substance of the questions and how each man believed the conversation should proceed.
The exchange drew attention because it brought a public disagreement about archaeological evidence into a major podcast. Hawass defended his expertise and objected to the direction of Rogan’s questions, while Rogan described the conversation as unusually difficult. That disagreement, rather than speculation about other guests, explains why the episode became a headline.
Sources
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