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Elon Musk joined Joe Rogan’s podcast for the fourth time on Tuesday, talking about all things X and delivering a monologue about a “zombie apocalypse.”
But when the conversation turned to the Israel-Hamas war, Mr. Musk made an awkward joke that apparently made even the controversial podcast host uncomfortable.
The couple wore Halloween costumes and smoked for the special episode. Mr Rogan wore a blonde wig and a baseball jersey, while the business mogul wore a silk scarf and jacket and described himself as “half-dressed like the Wizard of Australia”.
The conversation turned to Mr. Musk’s reporting in the New York Times and what it’s like to have this constant attention on yourself.
“When you’re as big a celebrity as you are, it’s impossible to make everyone happy. So there’s going to be someone who says shit about you,” Mr. Rogan said.
“Does it mean more if it gets printed because other people are going to see this crappy thing? That’s where it gets weird,” he asked Mr. Musk. “Essentially, a New York Times article is just the opinion of one person and the editor.”
“It’s just that a lot of people are going to read this,” Mr. Musk responded. “I find the New York Times hard to read these days.”
Mr Rogan continued: “Well, unfortunately they make some serious mistakes. Just like Hamas, which -“
“Hummus?” Mr. Musk interrupted, then laughed at his obvious puns about the war that has cost thousands of lives on both sides.
“-the Israelis are bombing the hospital,” Rogan finished as the two of them chuckled under their breath.
Despite the awkward interaction, Mr. Musk continued with his joke, much to the disappointment of the podcast host, who apparently wanted to continue his train of thought in the newspaper.
“Chickpeas!” Mr. Musk blurted out.
Joe Rogan tried to change the subject when the joke fell flat
(Joe Rogan/X)
“Yes, it’s delicious,” Mr. Rogan replied, trying not to dwell on the point of Mr. Musk’s joke.
“I think we should just stop chickpea exports,” Mr. Musk then said with a laugh.
“This will bring them to their knees immediately. What will you do? Take a chip and don’t dip it in anything?”
“We need to introduce them to pineapple and anchovy pizza,” Rogan said in an attempt to change the subject to the pizza they had ordered. Mr. Musk exclaimed, “I hope this happens!”
Mr. Rogan continued to look unfazed as he spoke to someone off camera, but Mr. Musk, pleased with his joke about the ongoing war, continued to smile to himself.
The business tycoon was recently criticized for his social media platform
Mr Musk intervened in the war talks over the weekend by offering to send SpaceX’s Starlink to Gaza, which the Israeli government rebuffed, saying: “Hamas will use it for terrorist activities.”
Mr Musk claims Starlink will only be used for humanitarian reasons and said it would require “extraordinary measures” to make it happen.