Kamala Harris Interview With Joe Rogan Wouldn’t Matter, Poll Suggests

As speculation mounts over whether Vice President Kamala Harris will join comedian Joe Rogan on an episode of his hit podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, a poll released by YouGov on Wednesday suggests it may have little impact on her bid for the White House.

According to an exclusive report by Reuters, Harris campaign officials met with Rogan’s team this week to discuss a possible appearance, though it has yet to be confirmed.

YouGov’s poll, which surveyed 3,105 U.S. adults on Wednesday, soon after reports that an appearance was on the cards, found that more than half (57 percent) of respondents thought it would make no difference to their opinion of the Democratic nominee.

Only 14 and 13 percent said it would make them think either more or less favorably of Harris respectively, while 17 percent said they were unsure.

Newsweek has contacted the Harris campaign for comment via email outside of standard working hours.

Both candidates have been courting the Gen Z vote in their race for the presidency, though some polls have indicated that Harris’s opponent, former President Donald Trump is leading Harris with this demographic.

Rogan’s podcast boasts a massive audience. In March, Spotify reported that The Joe Rogan Experience had 14.5 million followers, nearly triple the platform’s second most popular program. The comedian has a further 19 million followers on Instagram and 17 million on YouTube, so an appearance from Harris on his show could potentially help put her case across to swarms of voters.

According to an October 2023 analysis by YouGov, a majority of Rogan’s audience (56 percent) is men aged 18-34.

“One podcast won’t make or break an election, but the potential benefit for Harris on appearing with Rogan almost certainly outweighs the risk. The Democrat path to victory means gaining the votes of an alliance of women, the young and minorities,” Mark Shanahan, associate professor of political engagement at the U.K.’s University of Surrey, told Newsweek.

“Joe Rogan has a high listenership among under 35s, especially men—and a high proportion of those are young Black men. This is an area where Harris’s reach is perceived to be weak, so the opportunity to connect with them can’t be scorned.”

Shanahan said: “Rogan won’t go easy on her and she will have to be on good form to react to the unexpected. But if she can shift the thinking of even a tiny percentage of listeners in the battleground states, even just getting a few reluctant voters to the polls, it could make all the difference in states where the race is achingly tight.”

The presidential hopefuls have been on a media blitz as the election draws closer, including appearances from Harris on CBS‘ 60 Minutes, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, ABC‘s The View, as well as Howard Stern’s radio show and Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast—seeking to help voters get to know her better after attracting criticism for largely avoiding sit-down interviews.

Trump has recently appeared on several popular podcasts, such as Flagrant with comedians Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh. He also signaled his willingness to appear on Rogan’s podcast during an appearance on the Nelk Boys YouTube channel.

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