Podcaster Joe Rogan drew criticism after appearing to entertain unfounded online rumors suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is dead, even floating the idea that Netanyahu’s brother may have been killed in a recent missile strike during a new episode of his show.

The remarks were made on episode #2471 of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring comedian Mark Normand, which was released between March 20 and 21, 2026. In a widely circulated clip, Rogan responded to questionable videos spreading online amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran.

His comments quickly gained traction across social media, where pro-Israel users accused him of echoing Iranian disinformation and veering into conspiracy theories.

The speculation had already been publicly debunked days earlier, when Netanyahu shared a verified video of himself casually ordering coffee at a café in Yerushalayim, poking fun at the false claims that had been fueled by Iranian state outlets and AI-generated content.

Netanyahu’s brother Iddo Netanyahu remains alive and active. The only brother who was killed was Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, who died during the 1976 Entebbe rescue operation nearly five decades ago. There have been no credible reports of any recent attack involving members of the Netanyahu family.

Rogan’s comments come amid a surge in online conspiracy discussions centered on altered or distorted “AI videos” of Netanyahu, with some users citing visual irregularities, such as “six fingers,” as supposed evidence of manipulation. Rogan did not fully dismiss the claims, instead appearing to consider them as potentially plausible.