Joe Rogan's friends followed him to Texas. They all seem to hate it.

[tulipsandroses]

I remember reading about this mass bro exodus to Texas to follow Rogan and Musk.LOL - Some of these guys wanted to move to more conservative states because they just wanted to be assholes. They wanted to get away from "wokeness."
Grow up.! Stop being whiny ass man babies.

From the heat to the state's power grid, Joe Rogan's friends are learning that Texas isn't what they were promised

In 2020, Joe Rogan moved from Los Angeles to Austin after visiting and realizing he didn't have to wear a mask at a restaurant. Many of Rogan's compatriots in the stand-up space followed him to Texas to be closer to his "anti-cancel culture" comedy club. For some, it was a desire to escape what they saw as out-of-control homelessness, crime or high tax states like New York and California. But in recent interviews, some of Rogan's pals seem to have learned that Texas isn't paradise, either.

SNIP----
Dillon, who moved to Austin shortly after Rogan, announced in the summer of 2021 that he would be moving back to Los Angeles. Dillon said that the COVID-19 pandemic and Rogan's 2020 decision to move to Texas made him want a change of scenery, and that while he had "never loved Austin," he was willing to give it a chance, even though it wasn't a "world-class city."
"Yes, the taxes are better. 
And yes, there are benefits to not being in LA. And yes, LA is a host of problems," Dillon said on his podcast. "But I moved here because, first and foremost, I said, something new will be good. I was wrong."
Another Rogan associate was more direct with his criticism of Texas.

"Texas f--king blows," comedian Shane Gillis said in a June episode of the Andrew Schulz podcast, recalling a storm that left his Austin home without power for three days. "It's hot as f--k. The second we ran out of power, the house was 90 degrees and bugs came in immediately."

SNIP
Schuab, Gillis and Dillon are far from the only comedians to not see what Rogan sees. In January, New Orleans-native comedian Mark Normand called Austin's comedy scene "a punchline." Normand has also declared that "moving to Texas is over," and last summer complained about Texas' weather and Austin's homeless population.
"That city is a boiling pot of evil goo, just circling a dish," Normand said in July 2024.
Everywhere you look, comedians in Rogan's orbit are trashing Austin. So if you've had enough of California and New York transplants ruining Texas, don't worry. It appears the fever may have broken.

https://www.chron.com/culture/celebrities/article/joe-rogan-friends-austin-texas-20790258.php

Previous article about the manosphere moving to TX
HOW JOE ROGAN REMADE AUSTIN
The podcaster and comedian has turned the city into a haven for manosphere influencers, just-asking-questions tech bros, and other “free thinkers” who happen to all think alike.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/10/joe-rogan-austin-comedy-club/679568/

[Skittles]

8. they really do think they are special

it is very strange indeed

[yardwork]

2. This is almost as fun as reading about people moving to Russia.

Reading about "manly men" complaining about no AC "and bugs coming into the house!!!" makes me laugh out loud.

I thought they wanted to live off the grid and prove their manliness?!

[democratsruletheday]

4. Exactly...they had to MOVE to Texas to find that out? LOFL

slow learners I'd guess

[Rebl2]

11. Fafo

Maga idiots

[surfered]

3. Well, they may have not known that they moved into the den of iniquity.

Politically, Texas has a very conservative, some say whacky, government completely controlled by Republicans, but Austin is the most liberal part of the state. Maybe, Rogan et al may learn something.

It’s a great town and I grew up there, graduating from the “old” Austin High School and the University of Texas. It has seen too much growth, because it’s a wonderful place to live, and that and the traffic, etc now detracts from the quality of life

[tanyev]

10. Yep. I grew up near Austin and graduated from a small college there.

Loved every minute of living there and the years I lived in San Antonio. My more recent visits were for family members having health issues, so I can’t speak to the current state of live music/fun restaurants, but it looked like a lot of the Austin I remember is still there in amongst the new developments.

[surfered]

12. Fond memories. Not sure why the Joe Rohan's of the world are moving there....no state income tax is my guess

[womanofthehills]

15. One of his initial reasons was because of Covid, the commedy clubs in LA were closed

But open in Austin.

Grok

“Joe Rogan moved to Austin in 2020, citing several reasons, including the closure of comedy clubs in Los Angeles due to strict COVID-19 restrictions. Texas, particularly Austin, had looser restrictions, allowing comedy clubs like the Comedy Mothership to operate. Rogan also mentioned frustrations with California's governance, high taxes, and a desire for a freer environment. He purchased a $14.4 million home in Austin and has since opened the Comedy Mothership, a club he co-owns, which has become a hub for comedians. Posts on X and web sources like Texas Monthly confirm the move was influenced by these factors, though some users on X speculate additional personal or political motivations.”

[surfered]

29. Interesting.

[Johnny2X2X]

57. Every place is awesome if you can afford a $14M home

Joe pretending his experiences have any relevance to the average schmoe is pretty rich.

[Upthevibe]

26. surfered...........

Did you read the article?

It literally states one of the reasons some moved there was because of no state income tax.

[Aristus]

5. Some people gotta touch the stovetop for themselves.

I moved with my family away from Texas in 1982. Didn't miss it so much as a day. I love the Pacific Northwest. I went back to Texas in 2007 for my grandfather's funeral, and that served to remind me why I've never going back there to live; and now, even to visit.

Yeah, They've got great Mexican food there. But hell, we've got that here in Washington State. Authentic stuff, too, with our growing Mexican-American population.

And as hot as it gets here in the summer, it's nothing like the hellish oven temperatures in Texas.

I guess for those guys, getting the politics they wanted wasn't worth the weather and the bugs.

[surfered]

14. Funny, we've been going to the Pacific NW every July for the last 15+ years to escape the heat and see trees.

Although there are plenty of trees in the Texas Hill Country. We love the NW.,,,in the summer 😁

[maxsolomon]

25. Coastal PNW is a refuge from "real winter", too.

Seattle gets snow like once every 5 years and rarely sees temps below freezing. Mostly, highs in the 40s/50s.

[mwmisses4289]

44. My dad, before he passed away, often used to joke that

he moved the the PNW because he didn't have shovel rain, lol.
Dad was in the Air Force, got stationed at Ellington AFB before it was closed in the 1970s. After he and mom divorced, he ended up in the PNW. I moved up there in 1982. Love and miss it. Had to move back to texass due to family issues.
There's a reason so many of us who grew up in texass and move out of the state say that it's a great state to be from- far from!

[Norrrm]

6. The grass may be greener but you may not like the pasture.

[mercuryblues]

17. Pastures tend to be full of shit

and fire ants

[Dave Bowman]

32. Or the neighbors.

[Skittles]

7. LOL

were these stupid assholes unaware "Texas is hot as fuck" before they moved here?

[CatWoman]

13. i lived in El Paso a year before moving here

hot as fuck is an understatement.

also, at that time i had a car with a sun roof. the sun was so strong it actually bleached my hair to a reddish color!!!

[PatSeg]

9. Gee, Austin is one of the better places in Texas to live

[surfered]

16. It was when was when I was there...

[Skittles]

18. same, but it has changed

I lived there 17 years but the last time I visited, it felt like a mini-Dallas.

[PatSeg]

21. That is really sad

Dallas was the one city we never wanted to see again.

[dalton99a]

41. +1. Austin skyline 1990 - 2025:

[PatSeg]

20. Of all the places in Texas that we visited

many years ago, Austin was absolutely our favorite and the LEAST like Texas.

[surfered]

24. Exactly

[qazplm135]

51. Not really

It's expensive, bad traffic, and still too small town for its population.

San Antonio is better, less humid, more like a city, better traffic, less expensive, more diverse.

[PatSeg]

59. I'm speaking from my experiences

many years ago. I do recall San Antonio being much like you describe it though.

[ITAL]

19. I grew up in Texas

And I still have a lot of family there. Visit about once a year (generally in the Fall, but sometimes in the Spring) to see both friends and family. When I lived there the heat didn't really bother me much, but after living away longer than I lived in the state, I don't think I could deal with the Summers now.

Of course my wife thinks we should retire there so I may end up going back regardless in another decade or so.

[eppur_se_muova]

22. Austin's (un?)official motto is "keep Austin weird". It's where all the libs in TX congregate. Some spill over into SA.

The history of the Fredericksburg/Neu Braunfels area, close by Austin, and the "Latin farmers" is worth a read sometime. Educated liberals fleeing Germany on the brink of revolution, feminists, peace with the native tribes (celebrated in the annual "Easter Fires&quot , pro-Union Texans ... a lot you might not expect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Settlement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Fredericksburg,_Texas

Kind of odd that it's in the same state as Waco (often pronounced 'Wacko').

[kimbutgar]

23. I was in Texas in the early 2000's and wasn't impressed so I'm not surprised.

I’m sure if one is a native Texan they love it but as a native Californian I’ll stay here !

[SSJVegeta]

27. Now that he lieks democrats again he can cknvince them all to vote dem and make it better

[dutch777]

28. Many of my wife's fellow tech workers fled to TX during the pandemic and most regretting it and many leaving

Whoever advised folks to rent and live in a place a year at least before buying in was very wise. Lots of regrets in TX, FL and elsewhere. CA has major issues for sure. But assess what you are gaining and what you are giving up or getting stuck with that you didn't think thru. It is not a binary choice between TX and CA. Oh look, 48 other states!

[The Madcap]

30. What I remember of Texas

1. Giant highways with even higher overpasses...taller than they really need to be
2. Every chain restaurant has a sign that must be 75 feet high
3. Pickup trucks and BMW's everywhere
4. Softball-sized hail (and even larger)
5. Excessive heat that would sear your flesh
6. Ice storms that cripple the highways
7. Government offices like the DMV, Driver's License office, voting, etc....just the homes of total chaos.
8. Tons of restaurants that are way above my social class
9. Megachurches everywhere
10. Suburban McMansions on slab foundations with tiny yards...parking in the back yard, which is just large enough for a single lawn chair you would never use due to the heat.
11. Crazy politics...the obvious one...
12. Every day an adventure, and not of the good kind.

[Luciferous]

31. My brother is a Joe Rogan, Alex

Jones loving conspiracy nut who moved from IL to Texas.

While he was there he worked for a manufacturer that had them working 6-7 days a week, and also had to deal with power outages from storms. It lasted about a year before he moved back to IL 😂

[Dave Bowman]

33. One of the few states that I wouldn't even want to visit.

[Mblaze]

34. Stay in Texas

Please

[skypilot]

35. Three heroin addicts busking?

Could he not find Sixth Street? What the fuck is he talking about?

[AllaN01Bear]

36. a friend of mine went to tn to live w his parents and so his kids could be next to their grandparents .

promplly came back . said itt wasnt what he expected . suprize suprize.

[Wounded Bear]

37. "Everywhere I go, there I am..."nt

[MW67]

38. These people

Never stop telling just how much of a simple dumb ass, and wimp they really are, in between their daily chest pounding fits , they're half right Texas sucks because it's a red state, not cause it's hot ,macho tough guy, L A sucks cause it's full of crooked asshole poser's like them and sounds like it will soon have a few more back

[DownriverDem]

39. Isn't Austin

a liberal city? Isn't it a university town? If so, why would those righties move there?

[dalton99a]

48. +1. Community college is free in Austin

and it is a magnet for the homeless because of the free services including medical care

[Karasu]

40. Early on in the DeSantis regime, I swear it seemed like every fucking Republican in the country was moving to Florida...

...save for those who couldn't afford it or would rather stay in California for the sole purpose of complaining about it. Texas, of course, is their other idea of a conservative paradise.

Their complaints about running out of power amuse me greatly. Like, did Rogan and friends just not hear anything about the shitty freedumb electricity grid, or what?

[TheFarseer]

42. I moved to Houston in 2004

I was back up north 13 months later. It was so hot I literally couldn’t bear to be outside for more than a walk from the parking lot for 3 months of the year. My AC went out in my car. I thought I was going to melt into a puddle. The traffic was like nothing I’d ever seen before. We were going 10 mph the whole way on the interstate to work. It took an hour to get anywhere in the city. Many people were very proud of being from Texas to an uncomfortable level. I wonder if there is any sense of state pride in any other state that rivals it. It made me appreciate my home so I’m glad I went in that sense but I’m even more glad I moved back.

[dalton99a]

54. Texas is a religion in Texas

Everything is Texas this and Texas that or Lone Star this and Lone Star that

It stems from an inferiority complex. It is a big ugly state that nobody would want anything to do with except for the oil and gas - kinda like Russia or Saudi Arabia

[Upthevibe]

43. tulipsandroses..........

I'm actually glad they see first-hand what a sh** show living in TX can be and are speaking out. I'm not saying everyone has this experience but I know a number of people do. My sister moved back there from Chicago in the early 2000's. She hated it! She lasted about 1 1/2 years and couldn't wait to get back to Chicago.

I was born and raised in Corpus Christi and left in 1988. It was the best decision I ever made! I absolutely LOVE my adopted state of California. I can't imagine living anywhere else.

[fujiyamasan]

45. I don't think all of these guys are particularly political

I think Californians often look at other states and it’s very tempting to see what you can get for half the price, but there’s a reason many come back. And what’s crazy is many get priced out on the way back. So for those planning on selling, think long and hard because the cost of living sure doesn’t come down here.

If you live in LA, and you’re fortunate enough to even be able to afford a home, a million bucks will get you a house that’s over fifty years old and well under 2k square feet. That may or may not be in a good neighborhood.

But you do have great weather year round, you can get any kind of food from just about every ethnicity from most countries, you can surf and snowboard all within a few hours drive in the winter, and for the most part no one cares what you look like or where you’re from.

These guys can obviously afford a place here, but even aside from the politics there’s a lot to do and see here. Here’s something that’s often not mentioned. Much of Texas is well, boring. And it’s hot and miserable.

[BaronChocula]

46. They don't seem to be all that intelligent either

As comics, I'm sure they have some sense of wit, but they have all the cultural idiocy of bro culture which is based on satisfying base impulses rather than thinking of big pictures. These specimens deride "woke culture" because it's so much easier for them and types like them to get laughs by punching down. Meanwhile, more legendary comics like George Carlin (who isn't even a favorite of mine) pointed out that real comedy was the art of punching up at those with all the power.

Rogan and his ilk are more about whatever cheap laughs they can get. Even Howard Stern has moved on (I think). And they thought they would find refuge in Austin which is pretty progressive for Texas. They should put their money where their mouth is and move to Abilene or Midland and see what the bugs and heat are like.

I have a friend who retired to the Fort Worth area from LA for a few years. She moved back to California.

[fujiyamasan]

47. One thing you can't dispute with Newsom is how large the economy is

Even Peter Thiel conceded that the right’s portrayal of California is often an absurd caricature.

Looking at Silicon Valley alone, it’s the headquarters of five trillion dollar market cap companies (out of 11), which is insane.

Sure they can move headquarters as Tesla did, but that doesn’t mean they can take all that talent, which often isn’t thrilled with right wing politics anyways, especially the theocratic variety.

California has also had a reputation for being a welcoming state for people the world over, which is why so many of those CEOs reflect a diversity not so common in other industries and places throughout the country.

Ive spoken with my wife and we’re often tempted to cash out our equity and move to a cheaper state, but we pretty much have “golden shackles” at this point. Having moved here several years ago, I still am blown away by the natural beauty of this state. It never gets old driving on the PCH and checking out the coastline on one side and mountains on the other.

[JonAndKatePlusABird]

56. Golden State shackles

[womanofthehills]

55. California closed commedy clubs during covid

Grok

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, comedy clubs in California faced strict lockdowns, forcing many to close or pivot to virtual and outdoor shows. Meanwhile, Texas, under Governor Greg Abbott, had looser restrictions, allowing venues in Austin to reopen earlier. This environment drew comedians from Los Angeles and New York, where performance opportunities were scarce. Joe Rogan, frustrated with California’s regulations and high taxes, moved to Austin in 2020. He purchased the historic Ritz Theater in 2022 and, after renovations, opened Comedy Mothership in March 2023. The club, designed as a haven for uncensored stand-up, features two stages—Fat Man and Little Boy—and has become a hub for both established and up-and-coming comedians, boosting Austin’s comedy scene.[](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/joe-rogan-comedy-mothership-review-austin-club-1235343105/)[](https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2023/03/09/ritz-theater-6th-street-austin-joe-rogan-anti-woke-comedy-club-mothership/69988835007/)[](https://finch-mauve-rk3e.squarespace.com/joes-austin/rogans-laughter-factory-hijacks-austin-comedy-elite-flock-to-alien-themed-club)

[Torchlight]

49. So... they were surprised Texas is hot as f*ck.

That’s like booking a vacation to the Sahara and filing a complaint because the sand’s too warm. Mr. rogan's genius fanbase is stunning in their complexities.

[Raftergirl]

50. My cousin moved to Austin from MA about 10 years ago, after they retired to be closer to grandkid's.

They have hated it from the get go. Now, both grandkids are in college far away from Texas. They couldn’t wait to get out! They will never go back. The daughter and husband moved there from CA because at the time, they couldn’t afford to buy a house in SF area.

My cousin’s, however, are already in the 80’s and unlikely to move again. They could afford it easily, as they are extremely wealthy, but they are cheap as f**k. It’s not Austin they hate, it’s the politics and Republican fuckery on the state and national level. They do their best by voting all D, buts recognize it’s pointless.

[underpants]

52. Shane Gillis - I don't get it. Worst SNL in years. Bad at the ESPY's.

And he’s been chosen to be the savior of Bud Light. Why do these operations keep sign him on?

I guess I get what he’s trying to do but I just don’t find it funny. He has his moments but overall No.

[tulipsandroses]

58. I don't get the bro culture comedy either

I guess Budlight signed him after MAGA complained about a trans person in their ad. She

[walkingman]

53. It would be really nice to be able to go outside and not have sweat running down by butt crack ☮

[LS0999]

60. Why Austin?

Why not Vidor or maybe that new MAGA planned town in Arkansas?