Joe Rogan says US on ‘step seven’ to civil war after seeing reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Podcaster Joe Rogan has predicted that the United States may be approaching a “bona fide civil war,” warning that political hostility has reached alarming levels.

“Where are we right now on the scale of one to civil war?” Rogan asked during a recent episode of 'The Joe Rogan Experience.'

He said that before Charlie Kirk’s murder, he believed the US was “a four or five” on that scale. But after the incident, Rogan felt the situation had grown far more volatile, suggesting the country had moved closer to open conflict.

The 58-year-old host said extreme ideological shifts often trigger backlash, deepening division and fueling unrest.

Joe Rogan fears US edging toward ‘bona fide civil war’

According to Rogan, “It gets scary when there’s like hardcore ideological conflict, because people push back,” he said, before acting out a mock confrontation. “‘You’re gonna call me a b***h? Okay m**********r, it’s on!’ That’s what people are doing on the left and the right.”

Speaking with guest Brian Redban, a comedian and former producer of Rogan’s podcast, Rogan added, “The ultimate expression of that is obviously Charlie Kirk.”

“Charlie Kirk gets shot and people are celebrating,” he said. “Like whoa, whoa, whoa, you want people to die that you disagree with?” Rogan explained that even before the conservative activist’s murder in September, he believed the country was around “seven” on his “one-to-civil-war” scale.

“But after the Charlie Kirk thing, I’m like, ‘Oh, we might be like seven. This might be step seven on the way to a bona fide civil war,’” Rogan declared. “As soon as regular people [start] celebrating somebody getting murdered in front of their wife and kid on television in front of the whole world, as soon as you celebrate that, man, you’re in dark territory.”

Returning to the topic of growing political divisions, Rogan reflected, “Nobody knows what’s right. The only way to find out what’s right is you got to talk to people and you listen to their logical arguments about something.”

Rogan points to deepening political divides amid BBC backlash and new polls

Rogan also discussed the recent BBC controversy over edits in a documentary about the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. While his comments were wide-ranging, the UFC commentator’s concerns reflect growing alarm over America’s deepening political divide.

According to Politico and independent polling firm Public First, more than one in three Americans under 45 believe political violence stems from widening generational rifts over what actions are acceptable in today’s divided climate.