Joe Rogan issues apology to Theo Von after claiming he had a 'breakdown' and would 'take his own life'
Topics: Joe Rogan, Mental Health, Podcast
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Topics: Joe Rogan, Mental Health, Podcast
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Joe Rogan has issued an apology to Theo Von after he claimed the 46-year-old had a breakdown and was contemplating taking his own life.
A clip from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast went viral recently, in which Rogan expressed concerns surrounding Von's mental health and the alleged negative impact medication has had on Von's life.
Rogan said: “Theo Von’s going through the exact same thing and last time he was on the podcast he was explaining it to me.
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“It freaks me out because I know Theo has had conversations before...like even publicly.”
The podcast host even suggested Vonn had expressed suicidal thoughts, before saying: "I’m like, oh, Jesus Christ! Like, I got to help this dude.”
Von was quick to respond to the comments, denying the claims made by Rogan and saying he is 'doing great'.
"This is mostly false," the comedian wrote on social media. "I'm a human being which is a rocky ride. But I'm doing fine thanks."
Rogan has since apologized to Von privately, while also offering an explanation on The Joe Rogan Experience.
He said: "I apologized to Theo. He knows I love him and he said that and we laughed and we joked around about it and I apologized for the way I talked about this.
"I needed to explain to other people too, and it wasn’t trying to paint him out like he’s damaged or treat him like a child.
"I just want him to be okay. And when you’re dealing with someone, or when you have had experience dealing with someone where it winds up going very badly, and then you’re just left with this feeling, like, what could I have done? You know, I didn’t do a good job of it."
Rogan went on to say he 'f***** up' and that he 'felt really bad' following the backlash of his comments.
The podcaster continued: "He’s an awesome person, a great friend, and one of the most interesting and funny people I’ve ever met in my life. And I just felt terrible about it. And I told them I would never bring it up publicly again, but I think it is important to let people know that aspect of it."
The 58-year-old went on to say it was never his intention to hurt anyone, adding that he does his 'best to just try to be a good person'.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.