Inside Joe Rogan's life with wife Jessica Ditzel (2024)

As the host of one of the world's most listened-to podcasts, Joe Rogan has become known for sharing forthright opinions on a broad range of matters. However, he tends to keep his family life out of the spotlight.

Discussing the topics making the headlines on any given day, The Joe Rogan Experience has seen the host share his takes on everybody from President Joe Biden to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Rogan, 55, has also faced backlash. Last year, he was criticized by hundreds of medical and scientific experts for airing false statements on vaccines and the COVID pandemic. He also came under fire for his repeated use of the N-word across multiple episodes. Rogan apologized amid the backlash and also said that the clips shared on social media had been taken out of context.

The UFC commentator started his podcast on YouTube in 2009. By 2015, it had grown to become one of the world's most popular podcasts, regularly pulling in millions of views.

In December 2020, Rogan signed a licensing deal with Spotify for the platform's exclusive rights to broadcast the podcast. The deal was widely reported at the time to be worth $100 million, although The New York Times reported in February 2022 that the true number for the three-and-a-half-year deal was "at least" $200 million.

Away from the being a dominant force in the podcast world, Rogan lives a relatively low-key life with Jessica Ditzel, his wife of 14 years, and their three daughters.

Newsweek has taken a look at the couple's life together.

Love and Marriage

Over the years, Rogan was known for voicing his opposition to ever getting married. However, that all changed after he met former co*cktail waitress Ditzel in the early aughts. After several years of dating, the two tied the knot in 2009.

"I had to," comedian Rogan quipped to the Palm Beach Post in 2009 of marrying Ditzel. "Not really had to, but you know, she made a baby. (It's) like, 'God, all right, I'll sign a silly legal contract.' What she did was way more of a commitment."

Several years later, in 2015, Rogan shared his take on marriage since becoming a husband, delivering a blunt verdict on the institution: "Marriage is dumb, f****** dumb," he told Rolling Stone at the time.

That said, Rogan expressed his happiness at life with his wife, telling the publication: "She lets me do whatever I do. That's how we get along well. She doesn't f*** with me. A prenup? Of course. I'm ridiculous and dumb, but I'm not stupid."

Despite being married to one of the most recognizable men in the U.S., Ditzel is not known to be a red carpet regular. Her Instagram account is private with a relatively humble follower count of just over 200. She tellingly states in her bio on the social media platform that "anonymity is underrated."

Family Man

Rogan and Ditzel's wedding was bookended by the birth of their daughters; Lola arrived in 2008, while Rosy was welcomed into the family in 2010. Rogan also raised Kayja Rose, Ditzel's daughter from a previous relationship, who is now aged 26.

Kayja Rose's biological father is widely reported to be H-Town singer Keven "Dino" Conner, who died in an automobile accident in Houston, Texas, back in 2003.

During a 2012 appearance on Rosie O'Donnell's now-defunct OWN program The Rosie Show, Rogan spoke about the experience of raising a stepdaughter.

"She's an awesome kid," Rogan said. "She's not just a daughter, she's like my friend. And I've worked really hard on making sure that we talk to each other as openly possible—even about boys and weird stuff that she feels uncomfortable talking about."

"It's really important that I have conversations with her where she never feels like she's out of the loop," he continued. "She never feels like no one's ever taking into consideration what her opinion of something is. So we have these really cool conversations, which for a 15-year-old I think is pretty unusual. She's very smart. She's a really awesome kid."

In his 2015 Rolling Stone interview, Rogan spoke about how fatherhood had changed his lifestyle. "You know what? p*rn and strip clubs seem so different to me now," he said at the time. "They're not out. But they just don't seem the same. Having kids just ruined it."

Move to Texas

After decades of calling Southern California home, former Fear Factor host Rogan and Ditzel moved with their children to Austin, Texas, in 2020.

Rogan at the time forked over $14.4 million for an eight bedroom, 10 bathroom, 10,890 square foot home in the Lake Austin area of the city, according to Variety. It was reported at the time that his new neighbors included actress Sandra Bullock and haircare billionaire John Paul DeJoria.

Months before making the move, Rogan said on his podcast that he was mulling a relocation due to California's COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic. He also cited the high cost of living on the West Coast as a reason for the move.

"I might move to Texas... if California continues to be this restrictive I don't know if this is a good place to live," he said during the May 2020 broadcast. "First of all, it's extremely expensive. The taxes are ridiculous. And if they really say that we can't do stand up until 2022, or some s*** like that, I might jet. I'm not kidding. This is silly. I don't need to be here."

At the time, some regions of California were under stay-at-home orders. Texas, meanwhile, moved to re-open its economy by loosening its lockdown starting in May 2020.