The controversy surrounding Dave Portnoy’s coke video caused an uproar on social media.

During the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy spoke briefly about his rocky relationship with ESPN.

In 2017, ESPN president John Skipper abruptly canceled Barstool Van Talk after just one episode, citing the inability to distance himself between the show and Barstool.

Following the decision, Portnoy branded Skipper an enemy and promptly celebrated his unceremonious discharge later that year.

Joe Rogan had never heard of John Skipper before this week, but if it were up to him, Skipper would still be running Disney’s sports network.

The coke scandal

When Portnoy mentioned Skipper’s name, Rogan was surprised to learn that Skipper had resigned from his position as president of ESPN after an attempted cocaine extortion.

“I don’t know who that is,” Rogan then said Portnoy, who briefly took his Barstool brand to ESPN before getting divorced pretty quickly. “He had to leave ESPN because of a coke dealer? That’s fucking stupid, that guy was on coke.”

“I guess in that world you can’t even admit to doing coke,” continued Rogan. ‘It’s a stupid world. It’s a stupid world where you have to pretend you’re a fake person.”

Rogan couldn’t believe someone would lose their job over something as minor as cocaine use, stating that “the guy did a good job, so he likes to drink a little coke.”

Skipper’s departure from ESPN in 2017 was initially blamed on a drug addiction, but months later he revealed that an attempted extortion led to his firing.

According to Skipper, someone he bought cocaine from tried to extort him, putting him and his family in danger.

Skipper disclosed the details to his family, and when he discussed it with Disney CEO Bob Iger, they agreed that Skipper had put the company in an untenable position and that he should therefore step down.

He stated that Skipper did a good job and had been at Disney for 27 years, so he must have been doing something right if they hired him for that long.

Rogan also criticized the idea that people in Skipper’s position can’t admit to taking drugs, saying it’s a stupid world where you have to pretend to be a fake persona.

Ironically, Rogan’s UFC commentary is now airing on ESPN, in part due to Skipper’s departure.

It’s been documented that Skipper was not a fan of MMA, and his departure opened the door for Dana White to sign a rights deal with ESPN.

Skipper is currently the CEO of Dan Le Batard’s Meadowlark Media, and while Rogan may not have known who he was this week, his name is definitely in the news again now.

The discussion on The Joe Rogan Experience about Skipper’s resignation has led to discussions about the impact of substance abuse and the stigma surrounding drug use in certain industries.

While Rogan may feel that Skipper’s body of work should have kept him at ESPN, it’s worth noting that many companies have strict policies against drug use. Employees who violate this policy may face serious consequences.