Joe Rogan is world-class in everything that he does – podcasting, standup comedy, and UFC commentating. He makes so much money that he will probably become a billionaire in the not so distant future. But, how exactly does Rogan make his money?
Joe Rogan makes money from:
- The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (Spotify)
- Stand-up comedy shows and specials
- UFC commentating & appearances
- Ownership stake in Onnit
- Ownership of Comedy Mothership comedy club in Austin, TX
- YouTube royalties
- Affiliate partnerships: Kill Cliff, Athletic Greens, CBDMD, etc.
- Higher Primate brand apparel sales
- TV shows and movies
- Website advertisements
- Selling/investing in Real Estate
His earnings can be categorized into appearance fees for comedy, advertising payments from podcasting, ownership stakes in brands and apparel, and royalties. This diversification is well-balanced and spans both passive and active income resources.
#1 – JRE Podcast
Podcasting is one of Rogan’s ultimate money makers. It’s hard to believe, even for Rogan, that his podcast would grow to become one of the world’s top podcasts in just a few years after its launch.
Also see: Joe Rogan’s First Podcast: An Epic Beginning to An Era
In December of 2020, Rogan completed an estimated $200 million dollar earnings move to Spotify, taking his podcast off Apple and YouTube.
The way podcasts make the majority of their money is from the paid advertisements during each podcast episode. Some products offer an affiliate percentage each time a customer buys a product and uses a special promo code, which includes a discount for the customer and a cut for the podcaster.
Rogan has several prominent long time advertisers on his podcast. Companies like CashApp, Athletic Greens, CBDMD, Squarespace, stamps.com, Tushy, and others pay him a significant amount of money to reach his massive audience of million of subscribers.
#2 – Stand-Up Comedy
Rogan began pursuing his dream job, stand-up comedy, in his early 20s and never dreamed of it taking off the way it has. When he started doing comedy he laid down a foundational habit of working hard, something that he still adheres to this day.
Rogan makes money from his comedy in several ways:
- Active income from live performances and appearance fees
- Passive income from his recorded specials and the royalties they accrue
Also see: The 30 Funniest Episodes, Guests on Joe Rogan’s Podcast
Live Performances
Each year, Rogan schedules many live comedy shows in which he earns revenue generated from ticket sales, appearance fees, and apparel sales, all which further enhance his brand and popularity. Rogan’s popularity has exploded in the last 15 years and he frequently sells out his live performances.
Comedy Royalties
Rogan’s specials are available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or available for purchase on DVD on Amazon.
- Joe Rogan: Strange Times (2018)
- Joe Rogan: Triggered (2016)
- Joe Rogan: Rocky Mountain High (2014)
- Joe Rogan: Live from the Tabernacle (2012)
- Talking Monkeys in Space (2009)
- Joe Rogan Live (2007)
Additionally, Rogan released the comedy CDs Shiny Happy Jihad (2007) and I’m Gonna Be Dead Someday (2000).
#3 – UFC Commentating
Along with Dana white, Rogan is the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and has been commentating with them since 1997. A skilled martial artist himself, Rogan knows his stuff. He has several black belts in taekwondo and jiu-jitsu.
Also see: Are Joe Rogan and Dana White Related? Long-Lost Siblings
Originally, Rogan was hesitant to take on a major role in providing color commentating for UFC on regular basis because he looked at the fights as a way to chill with his friends. But Dana White talked him into it because of his talent and knowledge about fighting.
Because of his busy schedule, Rogan does not commentate as much as he used to. Now, he only does the big fights due to his commitment to podcasting and stand-up comedy, and his time limitations.
#4 – Ownership Stake in Onnit
Rogan is a partner with Onnit, and together with owner Aubrey Marcus, the two have worked together on some highly successful products.
A few of Rogan’s favorite Onnit products:
- Alpha Brain – Black Label
- New Mood
- Shroom Tech
- Fat Butter
- Protein Bites
- Onnit Kettlebells
Also see: Joe Rogan Supplement Guide: Exactly What You Need
Onnit has a dedicated page to Rogan and the products he takes on a frequent basis. The page has a ton of cool resources made in conjunction with Rogan that includes motivational videos, workout pdfs, and articles about self-growth and goal setting.
#5 – Ownership of Comedy Mothership
Rogan purchased a building in Austin, Texas that was renovated into his own comedy club – Comedy Mothership. The move was orchestrated by Rogan, but with big help from his friend and comedy talent guru Adam Eget.
The journey began following Rogan’s exit from Los Angeles and then purchasing the famous Ritz building on 6th street in Austin in 2022. With Rogan’s wide circle of friends and Eget’s top talent management skills leading the club, it has quickly become one of the hottest comedy clubs in the nation.
Also see: 10 Reasons Why Joe Rogan Moved To Austin, Texas
#6 – YouTube Royalties
Rogan has three YouTube channels – the Joe Rogan Experience, JRE Clips, and Joe Rogan. Interestingly, he set the standard for successful podcasts, with the help of Young Jamie, by breaking his long podcasts into smaller highlight clips, and then putting them on another channel – JRE Clips. A win-win, this both maximizes his money and makes it more convenient for fans who don’t have time for a long podcast.
Prior to the move to Spotify, all of Joe Rogan’s full length podcast episodes were available on YouTube. But, while the JRE Clips channel is still operating and earning money, new short clips are not uploaded there anymore and are posted to just the Joe Rogan Experience channel.
#7 – Affiliate Partnerships
Rogan has been a long-time drinker of Kill Cliff brand products, founded by former Navy SEAL Todd Ehrlich. In Los Angeles, they stocked Rogan’s studio with a custom refrigerator full of his favorite Kill Cliff products.
However, Kill Cliff offers more than just traditional energy drinks. They make “clean” energy drinks, post-workout recovery drinks, and CBD drinks.
Rogan partnered with Kill Cliff to make a few flavorful CBD drinks, with his face on the can, called the “Flaming Joe”, a spicy pineapple flavored drink. Another was the “Elk Blood” CBD drink, a cherry flavor that was collaborated with buddy Cameron Hanes.
In additional to Kill Cliff, he has also partnered with CBDMD and Athletic Greens, which offer a promotional discount code for Rogan fans, as well as a likely payout cut for Rogan himself.
#8 – Higher Primate brand
In addition to everything else, Rogan runs his own thriving apparel and accessory brand called Higher Primate, which generates easy money for him and makes his fan base happy. This is the go-to place for authentic Joe Rogan and JRE podcast merchandise.
Also see: The Best Joe Rogan Gift Ideas: A Guide With Suggestions
On his website you can buy t-shirts, mugs and cups, duffel bags, hemp backpacks, socks, towels, and more. It is where I got some of my favorite t-shirts:
A fun fact – Rogan loves wearing a fanny pack, citing its convenience and functionality. You can buy one of those too.
#9 – Royalties from TV, Netflix, and Amazon Prime
Rogan has been in quite a few comedy specials, TV shows, and movies that continue to earn him passive revenue in the form of royalties and licensing fees.
Depending on his contracts, Rogan earns some money in royalties from starring in a few shows, including NewsRadio, Hardball, and Fear Factor.
Nowadays, royalties are little bit different with Netflix, Amazon, and other subscription based streaming services taking over. Typically, actors like Rogan get paid up front by a licensing fee, to air until a set date, and then get renegotiated at a later date.
#10 – Website Advertisements, DVDs, CDs, and Apple iTunes
Rogan runs advertisements on his websites, for example, through Google Adsense or Ezoic, which certainly earn him a few extra dollars each month based off the amount of traffic he gets.
And in addition to the revenue made from royalties and streaming fees, Rogan still makes money from some comedy/music albums that he released via DVD and CD. A few of them are available on Apple iTunes, as well, which combines to generate a little bit of money for him.
On iTunes:
- Rocky Mountain High (2014)
- Talking Monkeys in Space (2010)
- Shiny Happy Jihad (2007)
- Experience, by Akira the Don (2020)
These titles, of course, are available for purchase on Amazon in DVD and/or CD form. He released a Comedy Music Album called, I’m Gonna Be Dead Someday, notably featuring his most famous song – Voodoo Punanny.
#11 – Selling and Investing in Real Estate
In 2020, Rogan made a long considered move out of Los Angeles, although it still caught the world by surprise. In Austin, Texas, he made a significant upgrade by purchasing a mansion for 14.4 million dollars.
Fans might not look at Rogan as someone who sells and invests in real estate, but in October 2020 he listed one of his Los Angeles homes for 3.2 million dollars, up from the 2.3 million that he originally purchased the property for. The real estate website Zillow estimates that this property is worth 5.7 million dollars.
Is Joe Rogan A Billionaire?
No, Joe Rogan is not a billionaire, yet. The total sum of his money greatly exceeds 100 million, which includes his deal with Spotify, UFC, stand-up comedy, residual income from YouTube, TV Shows, business partnerships, and real estate. If he continues to save money and invest well, he could someday become a billionaire.
How to Make Money Like Joe Rogan
Want to be rich like Joe Rogan? Well, a lot can be learned from analyzing his career moves…
It may shock fans to learn that Rogan did not grow up rich. He was basic middle class, even a little on the poor side. At one point he was dirt broke in his early 20s, and had to live with his grandfather, while pursuing his passion of becoming a stand-up comedian.
Using hard work, determination, and a little bit of luck, he has made it big-time. Lets look at how he built his life into the ultimate money-making machine.
1. Follow Your Passions
Rogan has been following his passions for over 30 years. He was adamant that he didn’t want to get a 9-5 job just for the sake of getting a job. Although, at the start he did make sacrifices at times, like when he delivered newspapers and worked construction as a young adult.
Rogan has turned his passion for martial arts into a lucrative deal as a UFC commentator. His joy for talking to people and being around his friends has turned into his podcast gig. And his love for comedy has come full circle.
2. Help other people
Many uber-successful people say the same thing. Running a business or service is not about making money. Try not to think about the money first, think about the people first and what services you can provide that will help them the most. Any great business service is geared toward providing the most value to the consumer.
Rogan has said many times that he had no idea his podcast would turn into what it is today. He was just trying to have fun with his friends and reach out to fans.
Providing extreme value is something Rogan does very well. His podcast has filled a need in today’s world where attention spans are at their very least. Yet, somehow Rogan provides a long-form platform of open ideas and real conversation that engages fans enough to listen to 3-hour long podcasts.
3. Diversification
Rogan has established extreme diversity with his money making ventures. In this article we have highlighted many different avenues that generate money for his bank account (UFC, stand-up, podcasts, YouTube, Amazon, etc).
Diversification is important because it creates protection in case one of his money areas dries up. Also, diversity creates more fun. The chances of Rogan getting bored with one thing is limited because he can switch his focus to something else.
4. Passive Income
Rogan has created tremendous balance between passive and active income. The biggest difference between the two, in my view, is that active income is trading your time for money. Passive income is when you create something that earns money itself over time (money while you sleep).
While Rogan does work hard doing stand-up shows and routine podcast episodes, many of those continue earning money well after they are published. He has created a well-oiled money making machine.
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