Billionaire Mark Cuban came to the defense of a vaccine scientist at the center of a fiery social media debate over vaccination misinformation involving comedian Joe Rogan and Twitter owner Elon Musk, telling Newsweek he had to respond to their "bullying."
Dr. Peter Hotez, dean at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, was trending on Twitter on Saturday and Sunday after getting drawn into an online tiff with Rogan. The social media spat went viral after Rogan offered the vaccine expert $100,000 to debate Democratic presidential candidate and noted anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his podcast.
Rogan challenged Hotez after the doctor criticized his recent interview with Kennedy Jr. During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, and son of former Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy Sr., reiterated baseless claims that vaccines cause autism—a notion that has been repeatedly disproven.
Hotez slammed Rogan and Spotify over the interview, saying the podcaster was promoting "vaccine misinformation."
In response to the doctor's criticism, Rogan called on Hotez to debate Kennedy Jr., who seconded the idea on Twitter.
"Peter, if you claim what RFKjr is saying is 'misinformation' I am offering you $100,000.00 to the charity of your choice if you're willing to debate him on my show with no time limit," Rogan tweeted.
Peter, if you claim what RFKjr is saying is “misinformation” I am offering you $100,000.00 to the charity of your choice if you’re willing to debate him on my show with no time limit. https://t.co/m0HxYek0GX
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) June 17, 2023
Newsweek reached out via email to Hotez for comment.
The feud, instantly heated due to the polarizing topic of vaccine misinformation, quickly went viral. Hotez's supporters urged him to avoid debating Kennedy Jr., saying it'll "elevate" conspiracy theories. Rogan's fans praise the podcaster for "exposing truth," and fostering public discussion.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk weighed in with a reply to one of Rogan's tweets where he blasted Hotez, saying: "He's afraid of a public debate because he knows he's wrong."
Hotez said on Twitter that all the attention from high-profile figures has led to him being "stalked" in front of his home by a "couple of antivaxers taunting me to debate RFKJr."
Ugh I just was stalked in front of my home by a couple of antivaxers taunting me to debate RFKJr. Of course I was looking my Sunday best in our brutal heat wave. What is it with people? Well at least Houstonian’s now know I support the team…#GoTexans pic.twitter.com/d0NIgNElKN
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) June 18, 2023
Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and an investor on the TV show Shark Tank, waded into the discussion on Sunday while responding to one of Rogan's tweets about Hotez.
In the tweet, Rogan defended the need for a debate while referring to people in the medical industry as "heartless monsters." He said those in the medical field "look at human beings as an opportunity to generate insane wealth regardless of the tragic consequences."
Cuban, who in 2022 started the online generic medication company Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company (MCCPDC), assailed Rogan's criticism of the health industry. The investor said the podcaster's comments were "disrespectful" to the nation's medical professionals. Cuban also criticized Rogan and Kennedy Jr. for trying to strong-arm Hotez into debating Kennedy Jr.
"Trying to bully Dr Hotez is ridiculous. You have producers that will prepare you and you get to control the conversation," Cuban said in the tweet. "@RobertKennedyJr also has a staff ready to prepare him, and these topics are what he talks about in every speech. You both do this on a daily basis Dr Hotez works every day to try to find ways to help people."
Way to talk in generalities Joe. Not saying there aren't a lot of fucked up things about pharma. That's why we created https://t.co/jYSNkP7amr. But to ignore that the same industry has saved who knows how many lives is bullshit and you know it.
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 18, 2023
It's also disrespectful to all… https://t.co/bUawoBgbH6
Cuban told Newsweek that Rogan, Kennedy Jr. and Musk were "bullying" Hotez, so he felt the need to step in and say something on his Twitter account, which has nearly 9 million followers.
"I thought it was unfair that Joe and Kennedy and Elon were effectively bullying Dr Hotez, so I decided to say so," Cuban said in an email to Newsweek. "Elon and Joe have worked hard to create their respective platforms and have the right to use as they wish. But I felt I could use my platform to say how I felt as well."
Hotez said during a Sunday evening MSNBC appearance that anti-vaccine disinformation is a "lethal force" in the U.S. He said during the interview with Mehdi Hasan that he's happy to go on Rogan's podcast and discuss vaccines and share information. However, he did not say whether he would debate Kennedy Jr.
"I offered to go on Joe Rogan but not to turn it into the Jerry Springer show with having RFK Jr. on," he said.
Here’s part of the clip https://t.co/4AOZfWxD9W
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) June 19, 2023
Correction 06/19/23, 3:25 p.m. ET: This story was updated to reflect that Elon Musk is no longer the CEO of Twitter.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Maura Zurick is the Newsweek Weekend Night Editor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her focus is reporting on U.S. national news ... Read more
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