Joe Rogan's estranged sister denies claims made by the podcaster against his "violent" father

Joe Rogan’s estranged sister, Rosa Rogan Lunelli, has publicly denied the podcaster's claims that he and his mother fled to San Francisco to escape his allegedly abusive father, Joe Rogan Sr.

In an interview with Daily Mail on April 7, 2025, she stated that she and her family rejected these allegations and revealed that a legal letter was sent to Rogan in 2022 as a warning against the “defamatory statement”, which prompted him to stop discussing the abuse claims on his podcast.

“Ever since Joe’s receipt of the attorneys’ letter, he has no longer spoken about his claims of abuse. My family adamantly denies those claims. There has been no contact on Joe’s part with wanting to meet our father, nor us.” She told the outlet.

According to a report in San Francisco Chronicle, during one of the episodes of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan described his 83-year-old father as a “very, very violent guy” and claimed, “All my damages— came from my real father, before I was 7. My real father was crazy, he was like a psychotic person. He beat the f— out of my mother.”

But Rogan’s half-sister, who has never spoken to him in years, has a different view about their father. What did she say? Let us understand.

Read more: What did Joe Rogan say about Candace Owens firing from Daily Wire?

How has Joe Rogan’s half-sister, Rosa Rogan Lunelli, described her relationship with their father?

In an interview with Daily Mail, Joe Rogan’s half-sister, Rosa Rogan Lunelli, refuted claims of domestic violence being made by the podcaster earlier.

She described him as the “epitome of a wonderful father,” and said:

“Growing up, my sister and I just had such a happy childhood,” Bridget told the Daily Mail. “I just can’t tell everyone enough what a great father we have, God has blessed us. My father has never been violent ever; that is why Joe Jr.’s claims are such a shock to us. My father has never even raised his voice to us.”

She further revealed that she was 19 years old when her father told her about Joe Jr.

“He was not even famous yet, he was a comedian and did a show called ‘NewsRadio." She said.

They made attempts to meet him, but he was not kind in his response and regarded his father as a “sperm donor.” So, they decided not to contact him again.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Joe Rogan’s parents, Rogan Sr. and his mother, Susan, separated when he was five. Later, Rogan moved to San Francisco with his mother, where she married a hippie, explains Rogan in one of the episodes of his podcast. He described his real dad as a “big... scary..crazy cop from New Jersey…” while he said that his stepdad was a Computer Programmer and an architect.

While Joe Rogan Sr. also remarried and had two daughters, Rosa and Bridget.

During a 2022 interview with The Sun, his father said:

“I’m in my 80s, I’m in the rearview mirror. But I would like to see him. I definitely would sit down with him because he needs to listen to my side of the story. He never asked, didn’t know what I have to say. He doesn’t know how much it hurt me, and what I had to go through.”

Despite his father’s repeated expressions of wanting to meet and share his side of the story, Joe Rogan has not shown a desire to reconcile with him, he has continued to maintain distance.

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