Overview

• During a Sept. 4 episode, Rogan argued on-air with producer Jamie Vernon after Vernon said the Walz clip was AI-generated.
• The video depicted a likeness of Walz dancing down an escalator in an anti-Trump T-shirt, which Rogan initially declared was “100% real.”
• AFP and other fact-checkers confirmed the clip was a deepfake created by superimposing Walz’s face onto a TikTok user’s body from an early August post.
• Rogan later acknowledged, “I fell for it,” and justified his mistake by saying he believed Walz was capable of “doing something that dumb.”
• A clip of the exchange spread widely on X and other platforms, prompting sharp criticism of Rogan’s judgment and his handling of verification on the show.