Podcasting the Crisis of Masculinity: Recognition Politics, the Manosphere, and the Joe Rogan Experience Audience

Despite podcasts' increasing prominence in the contemporary media ecosystem, they have attracted limited scholarly attention. This study examines audience characteristics of the most popular podcast in the United States, The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), situating it within the broader cultural context of the "manosphere." Leveraging two national probability samples collected in October 2022 (N=2,907) and November 2023 (N=1,000), this research explores the socio-demographic profile, political attitudes, cultural values, and media consumption behaviors of Rogan's listeners. The findings indicate that Rogan's audience transcends traditional partisan alignments, instead cohering around shared cultural orientations characterized by epistemic skepticism, institutional distrust, conspiracism, and distinct attitudes toward gender and race. This study underscores the importance of examining deeper cultural values alongside traditional political variables, enhancing our understanding of how influential media figures like Rogan shape and reflect broader ideological currents in an increasingly fragmented information environment.