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Podcaster Joe Rogan shared his review of Barbie and he somewhat surprisingly took the side of the film, saying that he’s “appalled” by the backlash to it.
During a recent episode of his podcast, Rogan ripped those who have been triggered by Barbie (such as Bill Maher), saying
“A lot of people are upset about the Barbie movie, and I left perplexed,” Rogan said, describing Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar blockbuster as a “fun, silly movie about dolls who come to life.”
“But a lot of it is about the patriarchy, and it’s a comedy, it’s a comedy about dolls. People are upset that it’s this progressive metaphor for life that they’re pushing progressive politics in this, and I’m like, ‘It’s a f—— doll movie!’ It’s a doll movie. It’s a fun movie about dolls who come to life and try to interact with the real world,” Rogan said.
Rogan then dismissed the notion that the project is anti-men, clarifying that it’s actually making fun of “dorks”:
“No one’s ever done a movie like this before. This is not like anything else you could say. It was a bizarre movie, but it was a fun, silly movie, I laughed. But at the end of it I was like, ‘How did people get outraged at that?’ I know some people personally who said it’s anti-men. I’m like, ‘No, it’s making fun of dorks.’”
While there’s no way of proving it, Rogan could be referring to fellow edge lord Bill Maher, who said that the film is “preachy and man-hating.”
Released in theaters on July 21, Barbie has gone on to become the first film directed by a woman to gross over $1 billion at the global box office. Barbie stars Academy Award-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, respectively.
Additionally, the film stars Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Emma Mackey, Kingley Ben-Air, Dua Lipa, Rhea Perlman, John Cena, Michael Cera, Helen Mirren, and more.