Joe Rogan falsely blamed forest fires in Oregon on 'left-wing' activists

• Joe Rogan echoed false claims on the latest episode of his podcast that "left-wing" activists had been arrested in connection to forest fires in Oregon.
• Local law enforcement, the FBI, and Snopes have repeatedly debunked rumors linking the fires to activity by "extremists" or antifa.
• Spotify reached a deal in May that will see Rogan's "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast become exclusively available on the platform later this year.
• According to a Vice report, there are internal discussions over Spotify's decision to host the podcast given content that critics say is transphobic.

The podcast host Joe Rogan recently echoed a debunked claim that "left-wing" activists had been arrested on suspicion of setting forest fires in Oregon.

"They've arrested people for lighting forest fires up there," Rogan said on the latest episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" while talking about Portland, Oregon. "They've arrested left-wing people for lighting these forest fires, air-quote 'activists.' This is also something that's not being widely reported, you know, that people have actually been arrested for lighting fires up there."

A clip of Rogan's claims was posted on Twitter by the user @AlexPattyy.

Authorities and fact-checkers have repeatedly debunked the idea that left-wing activists, such as members of the loose-knit antifa movement, have been intentionally setting forest fires.

"FBI Portland and local law enforcement agencies have been receiving reports that extremists are responsible for setting wildfires in Oregon. With our state and local partners, the FBI has investigated several such reports and found them to be untrue," Loren Cannon, the special agent in charge of the FBI office covering Portland, said in a statement posted to Twitter by FBI Portland.

Snopes reported that false rumors spread in early September that "antifa" had set fires on the West Coast, particularly in Oregon. Per Snopes, much of the misinformation spreading on social media seemed intended to link the wildfires to racial-justice protests in Portland.

Joy Krawczyk, a representative for the Oregon Department of Forestry, told The New York Times "we're not seeing any indications of a mass politically influenced arson campaign."

Rogan's podcast is one of the most popular in the world but has increasingly come under fire over the host's comments. Recently, he suggested on his podcast that Kardashian "b----es" had made Caitlyn Jenner transgender while misgendering her throughout the episode. In an interview with TMZ, Jenner called him a "homophobic, transphobic a--."

Rogan signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in May, and the podcast is set to become exclusively available on Spotify later this year. On Wednesday, Vice reported that Spotify was in the midst of an internal struggle after employees raised concerns about transphobic content on Rogan's podcast. According to the Vice report, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defended keeping Rogan's podcast on the platform in a company all-hands meeting on Wednesday.

Rogan and Spotify did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

• Read more:
• Spotify is reportedly fighting with employees about hosting episodes of Joe Rogan's podcast that some consider transphobic
• Joe Rogan suggests Kardashian 'b----es' made Caitlyn Jenner trans, sparking criticism over unfounded claim
• Caitlyn Jenner calls Joe Rogan a 'transphobic a--' over his joke that the Kardashians made her trans
• Joe Rogan's podcast is moving exclusively to Spotify — and it's the platform's latest addition to the podcast empire it's building to compete with Apple and Google