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I highly doubt that Joe Rogan is a sneakerhead in any form or fashion. But that’s not why people watch his show. The comedian turned podcaster and UFC commentator is a modern day renaissance man of sorts, but shoe collector hasn’t been added to his list of descriptors. That doesn’t stop Rogan from occasionally commenting on sneakers and hype culture and even wearing a cool sneaker here and there. For many, Rogan is a love-him-or-hate-him personality, causing controversy at every turn, whether justified or not. So it makes sense that him wearing the Nike “Panda” Dunks this week, the most divisive sneaker ever, is a topic for discussion.

Rogan wore the Panda Dunks during episode #2136 of the Joe Rogan Experience, which was an archaeology debate he hosted between Graham Hancock and Flint Dibble. The sneakers weren’t visible during the episode, but he posted a picture of himself wearing them to Instagram on Tuesday. Being a somewhat-regular viewer of his podcast, I had to post the picture on Twitter, it being an intersection of my worlds. The comments were mixed. Some people opined that they don’t know why the shoe is hated on. Others commented about how tight he tied his sneakers. Some wondered if this was the moment the “Panda” Dunk sneaker finally died.

I don’t think the last one is the case. The sneaker has been worn by plenty of people with even less interest in sneakers than Rogan. And that’s totally OK. It’s the most general release of GR, somewhat cool sneakers. It was meant to be, and someone isn’t lame for wearing Pandas. Wearing them may not make them instantly cool. But plenty of uncool people have worn some of the coolest sneakers of all time, and it didn’t instantly transform them the second they laced them up.

When it comes to Panda Dunks, I’m at the point where it’s live and let live. If you want to wear them, knock yourself out. It still doesn’t stop it from being a little funny seeing Rogan sport a pair.

It’s not the first time he’s worn a notable pair of hype sneakers, though. In the past he’s worn Air Max 97s while hosting Dave Portnoy. Or even laced up rarer things such as the Clot x Fragment x Nike Dunks to watch Sean Strickland beat Israel Adesanya in September 2023. And even simpler white SB Dunks, too. Rogan’s worn 70s Chuck Taylors to hang with Jelly Roll in May 2023. But most fitting is his love for the Nike Air Monarch, in the classic white and blue, that he’s worn absolutely choked out alongside the likes of The Rock.