An upcoming performance by comics Joe Rogan and Dave Chappelle at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena was postponed this week after Rogan announced he had been diagnosed with COVID. The co-headlining performance was scheduled for Friday, but was postponed as of Wednesday afternoon following Rogan’s diagnosis.
“I got back from the road Saturday night, feeling very weary,” Rogan said Wednesdsay in a video posted to Instagram. “I had a headache. I felt just ran down. Just to be cautious, I separated from my family, slept in a different part of the house. Throughout the night, I got fevers, sweats. I knew what was going on. I got up in the morning, got tested. Turns out, I got COVID.”
Rogan was apologetic for the last-minute push of the show, which is now scheduled to take place on October 24. “My apologiues to everyone, obviously there’s nothing that I can control. It is what it is. Crazy times we’re livin’ in.”
Those who purchased tickets from the venue box office or through the primary market can either keep their tickets for the rescheduled show date, or can request a refund via Ticketmaster. Those who purchased tickets on the secondary market will have to contact their point of purchase to see if they have any options for a refund or credit, otherwise the tickets will remain valid for the new date.
Another weekend performance by the duo was also postponed, but the date at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center had already been impacted by the massive power outages that hit the region in the wake of Hurricane Ida. That performance does not have a reschedule date as of Thursday afternoon.
Rogan has drawn controversy in recent months, using his huge platform (the Joe Rogan Experience podcast has a large enough audience that it earned him a $100 million payday to move it to Spotify in 2020) to push back against the potential for vaccination mandates, and indicating that younger, healthier individuals shouldn’t need to be vaccinated against COVID – a stance that is directly opposed to what public health officials believe.
When many objected to that line of thinking being pushed on his audience, Rogan was dismissive of the criticism (and the thought of his having any meaningful influence on that decision): “This is the thing about this whole thing, people being upset at me. … I’m not an anti-vax person. I’m not a doctor, I’m a f*cking moron, and I’m a cage-fighting commentator who’s a dirty stand-up comedian. … I’m not a respected source of information, even for me.”
Chappelle, who is scheduled to perform next week at Milwaukee’s Summerfest and the NYC Still Rising After 20 Years event at Madison Square Garden, also had COVID earlier in 2021.
