Twitter was set abuzz, as podcaster Joe Rogan took on vaccine expert Dr. Peter Hotez and invited him to a debate with Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. over COVID-19 vaccines.
What Happened: It all started with Rogan's interview with Kennedy for his "Joe Rogan Experience podcast," which aired on Thursday. The politician, who is an anti-vaxxer, said on the show that vaccines had affected some of his friends’ children.
Vice published a story by Anna Merlan, who said “Spotify has stopped even sort of trying to stem Joe Rogan's vaccine misinformation.” For the unversed, Rogan and Spotify were panned in early 2022 for a podcast episode during which Dr. Robert Malone spread false information about COVID-19 vaccines. He claimed that the vaccinations were due to mass formation psychosis.
The music streaming service as well as the podcast host suffered public backlash, and several content creators threatened to pull out of the platform. Subsequently, Spotify updated its COVID-19 content but did not censor the podcaster.
Tagging Merlan, Hotez said, “And from all the online attacks I'm receiving after this absurd podcast, it's clear many actually believe this nonsense.”
Rogan Contends Claim: Responding to Hotez's tweet, Rogan said he would offer $100,000 to the charity of Hotez’s choice if the latter was willing to debate with Kennedy on Rogan’s show “with no time limit.”
The presidential candidate chimed in and said, “Peter, Let's finally have the respectful, congenial, informative debate that the American people deserve.”
Ackman Joins In: Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said he would add another $150,000 to Rogan's wager.
Incidentally, following the airing of Rogan’s interview with Kennedy, Ackman, the founder of Pershing Square Capital, lauded it as "one of the most powerful and mind opening interviews that I have ever heard."
“My uninformed impression of RFK pre-interview was of an anti-vaxxer, wacko, conspiracy theorist. Three hours later, I am intrigued to learn more,” he added.
Tagging Rogan and Ackman, New York-based hedge fund manager Nicholas Mugalli said he would also add $250,000 to the wager.
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Musk Says Mistake To Push COVID Booster Shots: Twitter CEO Elon Musk also joined in the conversation and highlighted the risks of vaccines. The billionaire said it was a mistake to push for so many COVID-19 booster shots. Even the initial vaccine shot was overkill in quantity, he said.
“There's obviously risk of the immune system going out of control when it sees what what you've trained it to believe is a serious disease over & over again,” he said.
Hotez Decries Ganging Up: Responding to the whole development, Hotez said it was not about a small number of American losing their lives from anti-vaccine disinformation. He noted that 200,000 Americans have died, with 40,000 alone from his home state of Texas.
"I have nothing personal vs Joe, Elon, RFK Jr. Just hoping to halt more destruction," he added.
Hotez also said it wasn't easy to respond when “those 3 gang up and tag team,” referring to Rogan, Kennedy and Musk. "Wish I could be more eloquent and clever when the moment demands, but there you are," he said.
In response, Ackman said he strongly believed that an open, long-form debate on vaccines between Hotez and Kennedy “would enable the public to better understand these issues.”
“If you are truly interested in saving lives, you need to further the public's understanding of the truth about vaccines. This is a debate that you cannot walk away from. It will be watched by millions,” he said.
Related Link: Did Elon Musk Just Put His Skepticism Behind And Warm Up To mRNA Tech That Powers Most COVID-19 Vaccines?
Photo: Do512 via flickr
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