Joe Rogan unleashed criticism on California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter during his podcast on Wednesday, denouncing the Democrat due to a series of viral videos depicting her in heated exchanges with staff and abruptly leaving interview sessions — labeling her as “a crazy lady.”
“This lady who wants to be the governor of California, this crazy lady…” Rogan remarked in his widely popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” as he referred to Porter.
“Katie Porter is the one who screams at her staff, ‘Get out of my f–king shot!’” Rogan continued, mimicking the Democratic candidate.
“You can see her true colors when she talks. The way she behaves when she thinks the cameras are off, it’s shocking,” Rogan added, exclaiming: “What a monster!”
His comments came as Porter deals with increasing scrutiny in the lead-up to California’s gubernatorial election. Clips of her reprimanding aides and arguing with reporters have surged across social media platforms.
One notable clip released last week by Politico featured the former congresswoman losing her temper, stating, “Get out of my f–king shot,” at a staff member during a 2021 Zoom meeting with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.
Continuing her tirade, Porter carried on with the meeting despite reprimanding the staffer for unintentionally disrupting the camera frame.
The next day, additional footage emerged showing Porter giving an icy stare to an employee over lighting issues, lamenting that the “bright lights” were “killing me” before demanding them to be switched off mid-interview.
Porter’s temper again became a topic of discussion last Friday after a fraught interview with CBS Sacramento’s reporter Julie Watts — during which she labeled certain questions as “unnecessary,” attempted to detach her microphone, and threatened to leave.
Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles who is opposing Porter for the gubernatorial position, subsequently featured the full three-minute interaction in a campaign advertisement dubbed “In Katie Porter’s Own Words.”
Rogan reiterated that he believes Porter’s behavior in front of the camera disqualifies her from a leadership role.
Porter, 51, attempted to temper the backlash a day prior through a Zoom call with the progressive Working Families Party, where she expressed regret.
“I completely recognize that I could have handled those moments better,” Porter stated, as reported by The New York Times.
“I will hold myself accountable to that standard, to improve and acknowledge where I fell short.”
The candidate, who is vying to succeed outgoing Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, has worked to shift her campaign focus toward pressing issues like housing, living costs, and education.
However, the continuous stream of resurfacing videos, staffer testimonials, and rival criticisms have overshadowed her policy proposals.
A former aide, Sasha Georgiades, a Navy veteran who worked for Porter between 2020 and 2022, shared with The Post last week that the candidate could exhibit “downright mean” behavior towards her subordinates, particularly targeting “the quieter, more soft-spoken ones.”
Porter’s campaign has yet to publicly address Georgiades’s allegations.
The Post has reached out for comment.
