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Joe Rogan said on his podcast that it was "cruel" to make Pennsylvania Senator-elect John Fetterman debate Dr. Mehmet Oz during the midterms as he was recovering from a stroke.
Fetterman, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, suffered an ischemic stroke in May and was subsequently fitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator. Despite the health scare, he continued to campaign and eventually beat TV personality-turned-politician Oz in the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
Last month, Oz and Fetterman took part in a televised debate that was deemed a "disaster" by some. On the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan and his guest, comedian Neal Brennan, agreed that Fetterman shouldn't have been put on the stage in the first place.
"Anyone who watched the Fetterman debate would go 'Oh, this guy needs help,'" Rogan said.
"Couldn't watch it," Brennan replied. "I literally couldn't watch it. It feels cruel or something."
"It is cruel. It's cruel to put a guy in a position like that, who's recovering from a stroke. You're not supposed to be under that kind of stress," Rogan said.
Fetterman's health was a consistent talking point during the midterms, with Donald Trump Jr. being criticized for suggesting Fetterman had "mush for brains."
The former president's son seemingly doubled down on his opinion of Fetterman by sharing a Goonies meme, showing the characters Chunk (Jeff Cohen) and Sloth (John Matuszak) hugging, with a text reading, "Congratulations Pennsylvania!"
After a close race, Fetterman beat Oz despite his poor health, which sparked a wave of jokes online at Oz's expense.
During the podcast, Rogan and Brennan also discussed what qualities contribute to a good political leader and suggested that based on looks, Fetterman seems more Republican and Oz seems more Democratic.
"That was Trump's appeal," Brennan said. "He doesn't seem like a rich guy. He seems like a regular guy. That's funny like, Dr. Oz lost."
"How?" Rogan asked incredulously.
"'Cause he seemed like a liberal. Fetterman seemed like a conservative because I think so much of it is just looks," Brennan answered. Fetterman, 53, stands at around 6'8 feet tall, while Oz is 6'1.
Fetterman is not the only politician to have a stroke this year. In May, Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland suffered a stroke during a speech at a Democratic summit and spent a week in the hospital, though his Communications Director assured Newsweek he returned to work "well within a month."
New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Luján suffered a stroke in January and returned to Congress in March.
Correction: Newsweek updated this story on 11/16/22 at 10:35 a.m. ET to correct the month of Van Hollen's stroke.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more