San Francisco, June 18: After a controversial podcast interview with Democratic presidential contender and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., podcaster Joe Rogan has received support from tech billionaire Elon Musk for his offer to ask leading vaccine scientist Peter Hotez for a debate with Kennedy.

Rogan offered $100,000 to Hotez to debate Kennedy on his podcast after he criticised Rogan's interview with him. Hotez recently tweeted that Kennedy spread a lot of misinformation on the show, which Rogan didn't like and snapped back. Twitter Video App for Smart TVs Is ‘Coming’, Says Elon Musk.

He also asked Hotez to participate in a podcast discussion with Kennedy. To which, Hotez said, "Joe, you have my cell, my email, I'm always willing to speak with you".

Later, Rogan tweeted: "This is a non answer. I challenged you publicly because you publicly quote tweeted and agreed with that dogshit vice article. If you're really serious about what you stand for, you now have a massive opportunity for a debate that will reach the largest audience a discussion like this has ever had. If you think someone else is better qualified, suggest that person".

The heated debate caught Musk's attention, who tweeted: "He's afraid of a public debate because he knows he's wrong". In response to Musk supporting Rogan, Hotez asked Musk why he supports anti-vaccine when many people have died due to misinformation.

Musk then used the opportunity to emphasise that he is pro-vaccine and that his entire family is vaccinated. However, he has his own issues with the campaign and believes in the side effects of overusing vaccines. Elon Musk Says Promoting Scams As Funny Bot Will Lead to Suspension.

"First of all, I am generally pro-vaccine. I have been vaccinated against pretty much everything, as have my kids. Second, I think there is tremendous promise in synthetic mRNA. It is like medicine going from analog to digital", Musk tweeted.

"So many people I know had serious side effects from the vaccines, including myself. Failure to acknowledge that is a lie. As for the deaths you claim are due to Covid-19, why is the nation of Sweden still alive!?" he added. Musk then urged Hotez to participate in the JRE podcast debate with Rogan and Kennedy.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 18, 2023 09:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).