April 17, 2020 | 6:30pm | Updated April 17, 2020 | 7:19pm
Joe Rogan flaunted his ability to obtain coveted coronavirus tests in an episode of his podcast with comedian Chris D’Elia Wednesday, sparking backlash from angry fans.
“I got tested yesterday, and I got tested two days before that. I’m just going to test myself every three or four days. F–k it,” Rogan said on his show, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
Rogan is paying Los Angeles concierge doctor Abe Malkin to test guests, including D’Elia and Bryan Callen, who come onto his podcast, Yahoo reported.
“Chris D’Elia is negative. Yayyyy!” Rogan said at the start of the show.
“That’s right, I got the test,” D’Elia responded.
Rogan then asked D’Elia, “Isn’t it nice?”
“You know why I got the test? Because I know Joe Rogan. Because I came here and he had a doctor,” D’Elia continued.
In New York City, hospitals are “days” away from running out of COVID-19 tests and city officials are sounding the alarm on the disparity between the wealthy’s ability to get tests and low-income folks’ lack of access.
Rogan’s fans have slammed the UFC commentator and “Fear Factor” host for bragging about his ability to get tested for COVID-19.
“If you can’t get a #coronavirus test it’s cause Joe Rogan hoarding all them bitches. Good lord,” @thegreyrock tweeted.
Huffington Post reporter Rebecca Klein tweeted that a doctor friend of hers couldn’t even get tested. “A close friend, a doctor, presumably had coronavirus but couldn’t get tested in NYC. Cool that Joe Rogan is able to test his pals like it’s nothing,” she wrote.
Others joked that the only way to get tested was to appear on his podcast.
“I don’t need to talk to joe rogan I just want a corona virus test,” wrote @bicuriousbogle.
“People like Joe Rogan bragging everyday how him and his friends are being tested daily is just ridiculous,” tweeted @rjb_calif805. “Joe Rogan has had multiple coronavirus test with negative results. What the hell man?”
Malkin told Vice that Concierge MD LA began offering nasal swab testing several weeks ago, but he now mostly administers an antibody test that is not approved by the FDA.
“There’s about 70 companies producing antibody tests, and only one of them is FDA approved, that’s Cellex. I don’t know how the hell they got that contract that they got FDA approval, but it’s impossible to get those tests,” Malkin told Vice.
“I give everyone a disclaimer, it’s not FDA approved, you can’t use this for diagnosis, it’s more for peace of mind, for epidemiologic data. But if they need a definitive diagnosis, they have to get a nasal swab.”
