Saturday, October 31, 2026Every claim sourced. Every source linked.
The record of what the American press got wrong, and who it helped
The Big Lies › 2021 › File PF-0094
Bad Call

Joe Rogan Took 'Horse Dewormer'

After Joe Rogan said he had COVID-19 and had taken ivermectin, CNN and other outlets described the drug he took as a livestock or horse dewormer.

Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: theweek.com. Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Democrats

The framing cast a prominent vaccine skeptic as taking animal medicine.

What was reported

After Joe Rogan said he had COVID-19 and had taken ivermectin, CNN and other outlets described the drug he took as a livestock or horse dewormer.

What actually happened

Rogan said he got ivermectin from a doctor. A version of the drug is approved for human use, though not for COVID-19. CNN coverage repeatedly linked his treatment to the animal version, and some outlets, including The Week, put 'horse dewormer' in their headlines. In October 2021, CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta told Rogan on his podcast that the network should not have called it a horse dewormer. CNN never issued a formal correction.

The proof

Sanjay Gupta's on-air concession on The Joe Rogan Experience, and the fact that ivermectin is an FDA-approved human medicine.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

Joe Rogan Took 'Horse Dewormer' — Bad Call. Sanjay Gupta's on-air concession on The Joe Rogan Experience, and the fact that ivermectin is an FDA-approved human medicine. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/cnn-joe-rogan-horse-dewormer/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

Get the daily file.