Archaeologist Flint Dibble has launched an attack on Joe Rogan, accusing the podcast host of being trapped in a “fake archaeology cult” and calling him a “coward” who refuses to engage with real scientific evidence.
Dibble, who debated alternative historian Graham Hancock on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2023, delivered his critique while undergoing cancer treatment. Speaking from a hospital bed during his chemotherapy infusion, the stage-four cancer patient condemned Rogan for mocking his physical appearance after their debate.
“You know that I’ve been fighting cancer for the last four years,” Dibble said in a YouTube video, addressing Rogan directly. “Joe Rogan, you’re a coward who calls a cancer fighter weak.” The archaeologist revealed that Rogan has mentioned him in ten separate podcast episodes since their debate, consistently portraying him as dishonest despite presenting what Dibble claims was overwhelming scientific evidence.
The controversy stems from Dibble’s appearance alongside Graham Hancock, author of books promoting theories about advanced lost civilizations. During their lengthy debate, Dibble presented 270 slides filled with archaeological evidence challenging Hancock’s claims. He argued that real archaeological data shows no evidence for the technologically advanced global civilization that Hancock proposes existed during the Ice Age.
“I showed up with 270 slides filled with citations and images,” Dibble explained. “Everyone who watched saw all the evidence I presented. But Joe, he’s out here trying to rewrite history. He’s slandering me to millions, claiming I lied.”
Dibble’s most damning accusation is that Rogan deliberately chooses to platform pseudoscientific theories while dismissing legitimate scholars. He draws parallels between fake archaeology and the fraudulent martial arts that Rogan himself has mocked, arguing that both rely on cult-like thinking that rejects evidence-based reasoning.
“My intertwined story with Joe Rogan shows Joe with his mask off,” Dibble stated. “Joe Rogan might be smart, but he’s in a fake archaeology cult.” He suggests that Rogan’s embrace of alternative archaeology theories represents a form of “audience capture,” where the host panders to conspiracy-minded listeners rather than pursuing truth.
The archaeologist also addressed accusations that he called Hancock a r*cist, firmly denying this claim while explaining his actual position: that Hancock relies on colonial-era Spanish sources that contain racial bias, not that Hancock himself holds racist views.
“You’re a sellout,” Dibble concluded, accusing Rogan of refusing to have him back on the show to defend himself against ongoing slander. “Joe hides in his studio b**ching about me without the balls to have me back on to talk real archaeology face to face.”
Despite initially seeming receptive to archaeological evidence during their debate, Rogan quickly returned to promoting Hancock’s theories in subsequent episodes. Dibble argues this demonstrates that Rogan prioritizes entertainment and maintaining relationships with frequent guests over scientific accuracy.