The Joe Rogan Experience podcast has been put on hold after producer Jamie Vernon -- also known as “Young Jamie” -- tested positive for COVID-19. This is just one of many productions that have grinded to a halt in 2020, due to the spread of coronavirus and positive cases on set. In most of these instances, there is no clear indication of when production will start up again, as is now the case with the JRE podcast.
The Joe Rogan Experience first launched in December of 2009. Starting in 2013, video recordings of the podcast were uploaded to the PowerfulJRE YouTube channel. Vernon joined the show the same year, serving as a second producer to Brian Redban, who had started the podcast with Rogan. This past May, Rogan told listeners the podcast would be available on Spotify starting in September, as per a deal with the audio streaming service. Rogan had initially said the full podcast library would be available on Spotify, but some episodes were missing, due to violating Spotify’s content rules.
On October 19, Rogan took to his Instagram account @joerogan and posted a video informing followers that Vernon had tested positive for COVID-19. Rogan explained that everything has been shut down until a doctor gives permission for episodes to continue. According to Rogan, Vernon initially believed it was a sinus infection or allergies and after telling Rogan he felt sick this past Thursday, by Saturday he was “mostly over it.” Rogan stated that the entire staff, including Rogan, have been tested daily and that he had no contact with Vernon during the past nine days, apart from “briefly” on Monday.
COVID-19 Impacting Production Everywhere
Production on The Joe Rogan Experience isn’t the first to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Popular shows like The Great British Baking Show and The Voice have both made filming changes in order to air this year. Measures include self-quarantining for both contestants and crew members on The Great British Baking Show. Meanwhile, contestants on The Voice aren’t allowed to come into contact with the coaches. The pandemic has also affected movie sets as well. In September, production for The Batman was put on hold when Robert Pattinson was diagnosed with COVID-19.
It’s disappointing for audiences to miss out on their favorite podcast, or to hear that production on a highly-anticipated movie has been shutdown. It may be especially difficult to deal with in cases like The Joe Rogan Experience, when it isn’t clear when production will start again. However, the health and safety of those involved, from guests to actors and crew members, is paramount. It’s encouraging to see celebrities with significant platforms, like Rogan, take the pandemic seriously and it may encourage fans to do the same, keeping each other a little safer in the process.
Source: Joe Rogan/Instagram