For those of you living under a rock for the past 33 years who don't know who or what the Simpsons are (debuted in 1987, own show in 1989, full length summer feature film in 2009, huge American pop culture presence), perhaps the show can best be symbolized in the father figure, Homer. He is quite possibly the archtypical and most recognizable 'Ugly American' in that he does nearly everything in the wrong way, and while he may not necessarily find success at the end, he most definitely makes an impact, even if it isn't what he intended. He is loud, obnoxious most of the time, drinks more than we might think is healthy now, a crappy easily distracted driver, and has seemingly only managed to keep a job (and therefore support his family) by being one of the first hires at the local nuclear power plant since it first openned, altho he has dabbled in just about every occupation there is. He has been extremely controversial in his actions, from the early use of him choking son Bart for a gag (since mostly phased out) to his use of marijuana and psychedelics, the point has been made at times that he can be most definitely not a decent roll model for children. Yet for all his faults, Homer does have his charming and surprisingly poignant moments, ones that standout to this author as a casual fan of the show, not even doing a deep dive into the full 600 plus episodes the animated show entails.

By comparison, on paper there are some surprising similarities Joe Rogan has to Homer Simpson. First, Rogan is a multifaceted and diverse entertainment personaility, having been an actor, stand up comedian, game show host, martial artist, sports announcer, and possibly most well known now as having the largest podcasting audience in the history of the field with over 1000 episodes of his seminal show The Joe Rogan Experience at this time. This may not compare to the 188 occupations that Homer Simpson has had in the first 400 episodes of the show per Wikipedia, but should be noted that Rogan has enjoyed success in each field listed here as opposed to Homer who seems to crash and burn in spectacular fashion more often than not.

Second, like Homer Rogan has his own brushes with mind and body altering substances. He regularly promotes nootropic mushroom use, in his coffee and as a supplement, as well as weed and whisky, the former bringing him and billionare founder of Paypal, SpaceX, and Tesla Elon Musk some serious mainstream attention when the famously smoked marijuana on a podcast.

Third, Rogan is not without controversy himself. Having made remarks that some would consider offensive, for the most part Rogan has refused to back down to the PC/wokeness/decency crowd save to clarify himself at times. He has been confrontational in the pursuit of his sense of justice and correctness within his own fields as when he confronted Carlos Mencia over his blatant appropriation of other comedians' jokes as his own, and followed thru on essentially blackballing him from the industry. He has befriended 'offensive' comedians and has guests who have been shunned by other platforms on nearly every other one of his shows. Lastly, and possibly most obviously he even looks a bit like Homer Simpson to a certain degree it has to be said, since while Homer is still trying to save his hair down to the last 3 strands on his head, Rogan has embraced the modern shaven head for balding men

What strikes me the most tho is how similar American men (maybe men of other nationalities as well altho I don't presume to speak for them) respond to both Homer and now Rogan. Homer has a plethora of quotes ("D'Oh!","Donuts, mmmmgagah") that you only have to hear to recall him, and Joe has millions of devoted followers listening to every show and trying at least some of the stuff he either talks about or actively promotes. His podcast show, the Joe Rogan Experience, is really a tapestry to the differing facets to his interests and personalities, giving a strange, unique and ultimately wonderful flavor that resonates with listeners even when not actively listening. In many ways, deep down most men want to be like him in some way (or at least the persona he has become) , bullheaded, confidently striding into whatever may come even if its complete calamity, yet curious as to new and better ideas or experiences, always down for a good time while still trying to be as best prepared for whatever may come (mushroom coffee and a workout anyone?). While many people now may say they were fans of more classic Simpsons episodes, maybe with Rogan's deal with Spotify they may begin to say the same thing about Rogan in time.