Comedian Tim Heidecker is taking his satirical talents to The Onion, launching a new parody show, "The Tim Heidecker Podcast," that skewers Joe Rogan and his influential podcast. The show premiered on Thursday night and follows Heidecker's previous successful parody of Alex Jones.
The Onion, which has been embroiled in a legal battle to acquire Infowars' assets, debuted a streaming program earlier this summer that hilariously spoofed Alex Jones and his conspiracy-laden broadcasts. Heidecker led this charge, adopting Jones' signature bluster to explore outlandish theories, including whether Jones himself had exploded in his car after a Whataburger binge.
Now, Heidecker is setting his sights on another prominent figure: Joe Rogan, the host of "The Joe Rogan Experience." Known for his lengthy, often controversial conversations with a wide range of guests, Rogan's podcast remains a dominant force in the audio landscape. Heidecker's new show aims to mirror Rogan's style, with the debut episode reportedly featuring rants about pronouns, AI speculation, and pitches for a dubious supplement called "Crab Salts."
This isn't Heidecker's first foray into mocking Rogan's interview style. In 2021, he released a viral 12-hour podcast (actually one hour of looped footage) that touched on topics from psychedelics to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's potential presidential run. For the new Onion show, Heidecker reunites with comedy duo Rajat Suresh and Jeremy Levick, Onion contributors and collaborators from the 2021 parody, who are known for their knack for creating believable fake celebrity web content.
The first episode dives into discussions about DEI policies and even features a bizarre tangent about bearded men dressing as princesses for Disneyland visits, before Heidecker announces a "Scotch wrestling" trip to Glasgow. In an era where the absurdities of right-wing media are increasingly difficult to exaggerate, Heidecker's sharp wit and inventive approach make him a prime candidate to lampoon the current media landscape.
