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Joe Rogan has revealed his new Austin podcast studio and his fans are calling it a major upgrade over the doomsday-inspired look he first had when he moved into his $14.4 million Texas mansion in 2020. Rogan unveiled the new studio design during an April 10, 2021, episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with comedian Tom Segura.
Rogan moved his podcast from his longtime Los Angeles home to Austin in September 2020, posting his first episode from Texas on September 8, 2020. Rogan’s move to Austin coincided with a new era for his show. He signed a deal with Spotify to exclusively post his podcasts to the streaming platform. The Wall Street Journal reported the deal was worth more than $100 million. Segura shared a photo on Instagram of the new studio with the caption, “New studio, who dis?”
Rogan’s red-tinged first studio in Austin drew comparisons to a spaceship or sci-fi movie set and to a bunker. His new look has a more light aesthetic, with a shiplap wall that would make fellow Texans Joanna and Chip Gaines proud. A neon sign adorned with a UFO and the phrase “Austin Texas or Bust” sits on the wall behind Rogan.
The sign was created for Rogan by Austin-based artist Todd Sanders, of Roadhouse Relics, as a welcome gift, according to his Instagram. Rogan’s desk, built by Austin-based Wrightsmith Studios, remains. According to Austonia, Rogan also used other local companies Local Elm Construction and Project Management and Soundshed Studios for the new design.
Rogan told Segura during the first episode of the JRE in the new studio, “I mixed it up. A little bit of the old, a little new. A little bit of alien s***.” Rogan said he could move the neon sign, saying it “might be annoying” to have his name behind him. Rogan added, “It looks cool, but it might not be the right spot for it, we’ll figure that out. It’s a little odd though, me and then a big neon thing of my name right behind me. It’s a little obnoxious. I looked at the image on the screen and I was like, ‘Oh that’s not what I was hoping.’ It looks dope, it’s a cool sign, but I don’t know if it’s the right background.”
Rogan also pointed out that off camera there are shooting stars across the ceiling.
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Rogan Received Some Criticism of the ‘Bunker-Style’ Studio He Used When He First Moved to Austin
Rogan received a lot of criticism of his new studio when he first moved to Texas. Fans criticized the lighting, the feel of the room and the angles during the podcast videos after the move. The first Austin studio even inspired YouTube videos critiquing it:
Rogan responded on a September 2020 episode of the podcast, saying, “Folks, relax, we had to bang this together in a month. If you think it sucks, that’s okay. I like it. It’s definitely weird, it’s just a big shock. Some people are bad with change.”
After Rogan debuted his new studio, one fan wrote on Twitter, “we all successfully bullied
@joeroganinto building a new, better podcast studio 🙌.” Another wrote on Twitter, “So… the “truth capsule” is no more!? Is this new studio now at your house @joerogan? Perfect mix between the old school set up and the red pill truth capsule. I love it bro!”
Another fan wrote on Instagram, “New studio looks great. Gives it that JRE feel again.” That comment had more than 1,000 likes. Another wrote, “It looks so much better than the space station.” Another comment said, “S/O everybody that bullied the great and powerful Joe Rogan into getting a new studio.” Scientist and Rogan guest Lex Fridman replied to the photo of the new studio, writing, “The previous studio looked like Mars. This one looks like Texas. Love it.”
Rogan Is Planning to Open a New Comedy Club in Austin, According to a Report From a Local News Site
Rogan has more plans in store for his new home city of Austin, according to a recent report from the local news site Ausotnia. Rogan is expected to buy the One World Theatre in Austin with plans to turn it into a comedy club, the news site reported. Rogan had previously hinted he wanted his own comedy club in the Texas city with a goal of making Austin a comedy hub. The exact plans for the new club and details of Rogan’s purchase of the theater have not been revealed yet.
Rogan has been bringing many of his comedian friends to Austin for appearances on his podcast and has also appeared on stage at Stubb’s in Austin alongside some of the biggest names in comedy, including Dave Chappelle.
According to Austonia, Rogan will be partnering with comic and friend Adam Eget, who had been the talent coordinator at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, the club where Rogan would often perform stand-up when he was living in California.
Rogan, when he announced he was moving to Austin in August 2020, said on his podcast, “I just want to go somewhere in the center of the country. Somewhere it’s easier to travel to both places and somewhere we have a little bit more freedom. I think that where we live right here in Los Angeles is overcrowded and I think most of the time that’s not a problem. But I think it’s exposing the fact that it’s a real issue when you look at the number of people that are catching COVID because of this overpopulation issue.”