Joe Rogan First Defends Then Discredits Chris Cuomo for Fake Weight Stunt

Joe Rogan has seconds thoughts on his defense of Chris Cuomo.

When the Chris Cuomo fake weight fiasco first came to light most lifters didn’t take too kindly to it. Serious lifters, bodybuilders, powerlifters, and strongman athletes, all came out to say the CNN reporter was utilizing fake weights in his videos.

But apparently a well known podcaster and fitness enthusiast came to his defense: Joe Rogan.

Joe Rogan actually suggested at one time that Chris Cuomo really could be freakishly strong enough to lift a 100Lb dumbbell overhead with minimal effort. It just goes to show you that Joe Rogan is willing to give others the benefit of the doubt. That said, he really did get this one wrong.

After speaking to strongman competitors Rob Kearney and Robert Oberst, Rogan is now less convinced. A recent episode of his podcast saw Joe Rogan amending his statements about Chris Cuomo.

“It did look very light, so my thought was how big is Chris Cuomo?” Rogan explained. “I thought that he was bigger than he is. So I googled it, he’s only 182lb, it says he’s 6’2 and 182lb. I don’t know how accurate that is, but that makes him 20lb heavier than me. So very unlikely that he’s carrying that dumbbell like that.

“So then I’m like okay, I’ve got to ask some people who would actually know. I sought out some people online, and one of them was Rob Kearney. He’s been on the podcast before, he’s the World’s Strongest Gay,” Rogan continued. “He says ‘I just watched the video, I think it’s fake lol. He doesn’t look to be bracing hard enough for it to be 100lb.’ He’s a real expert, he’s am actual strongman so I’m pretty convinced.

“Then I asked Robert Oberst. Robert is f–king enormous. Absolutely one of the strongest men in the world. He’s a goliath,” Rogan said. “He says ‘The picture looks possible because the elbow is up and stable. But the video where he’s at his desk showing the weight off, he moves it around, out at an angle that would be at the smallest head of the top of the bicep, taking all the weight and it doesn’t faze him. If it’s real, he’s stronger than anyone I’ve ever seen use a dumbbell. I’d say it’s a 40lb weight with 100lb written on it. Lots of Insta-famous lifters have faked dumbbells and plates.’

“So two experts, Rob Kearney and Robert Oberst, both of them call bulls–t, so I defer to them.”

What do you think of Joe Rogan defending then denouncing Chris Cuomo and his fake weight stunt?

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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.

Jonathan Salmon
Managing editor of Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. He has been writing about bodybuilding, combat sports, and strength sports for over 8 years. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.