Gavin Newsom has reacted to Joe Rogan's recent criticism of the California governor.
'I'd Crush Him': Gavin Newsom Rips Into Joe Rogan Over Podcaster's ‘Cardboard Cutout’ Jibe
Podcaster Joe Rogan has expressed his displeasure toward California Governor Gavin Newsom on a few occasions in the past.
In a recent episode of his podcast, Rogan accused Newsom of corruption and called him a “cardboard cutout.”
Newsom responded to Rogan's comments in a post on social media, saying the latter takes "cheap shots" on his "failing" podcast.
Gavin Newsom's Reply to Joe Rogan
During the Thursday, April 30, episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the host took jibes against the California governor.
A clip from the episode which showed Rogan calling Newsom a "con man" has since gone viral on social media.
Rogan discussed Newsom's actions in California, including mandating vaccines for children and not wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The podcaster said that people do not believe Newsom because he is a politician with a “stone cold narrative.”
Joe Rogan criticizes Gavin Newsom during a recent episode of his podcast.
“Nobody thinks he is a real human. Whether you like Trump or not, whether you think he's corrupt, that's a human being, you know what that guy is,” Rogan said.
Referring to the California governor, Rogan said that he is a “construct, this cardboard cutout of a person.”
Following this, Newsom's press office responded to Rogan's remarks in a post on X.
“JOE 'LITTLE GUY' ROGAN IS TOO CHICKEN TO HAVE ME ON HIS FAILING PODCAST BECAUSE HE KNOW I'D CRUSH HIM, SO HE TAKES CHEAP SHOTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY AS HE GETS RELEGATED TO IRRELEVANCY," the post read.
"ALL TALK, NO ACTION. I'M READY WHEN YOU ARE, 'LITTLE GUY.' OR KEEP HIDING!!!!" it added.
Gavin Newsom responds to Joe Rogan's comments.
Notably, Rogan lived in California for over 20 years before moving to Austin, Texas, in 2020.
During a previous podcast episode, Rogan criticized the pandemic restrictions that were in place in the state.
“I might move to Texas... If California continues to be this restrictive, I don’t know if this is a good place to live,” Rogan had said.
The podcaster complained that the taxes are high and the state is expensive.
“If they really say that we can’t do stand-up until 2022, or some [expletive] like that, I might jet. I’m not kidding. This is silly. I don’t need to be here,” Rogan said at the time.
'He Would Cook Himself'
In October 2025, during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, comedian Andrew Schulz asked Rogan if he planned on inviting Newsom on his podcast.
Responding to this, Rogan criticized Newsom's social media posts, calling it “stupid.” He then said he would have invited Newsom on the podcast, but the California governor's social media presence prevents him from doing so.
“This is such a bad strategy. Like I probably would have had him on, but now I’m like, no, what are you doing?” Rogan said.
Schulz then stated that Rogan could “cook” Newsom on his show, following which the host claimed, “he would cook himself.”