Joe Rogan Blasts Meta Over Scam Ads and Nods to a Bipartisan House Bill

Joe Rogan briefly welcomed a bipartisan House bill meant to hold online platforms accountable for scam advertising. On The Joe Rogan Experience, he accused Meta of profiting from scam ads "knowingly." He blamed a lack of regulation and said the money will keep flowing until "someone does something about it."

The SAFE Platforms Act, announced Sept. 21 by Rep. Valerie Foushee and Del. James Moylan, arrives late in the 119th Congress, with the midterm elections less than three weeks away.

Rogan has hosted Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on his show. He made the remarks in a long conversation with Mariana van Zeller, an investigative journalist and host of the series Trafficked, about her new documentary on romance scams.

What Joe Rogan Said About Meta

Van Zeller brought up a 2025 Reuters investigation into Meta's advertising business.

"What bothers me is the scams and the fact that Meta is profiting off these scams knowingly," Rogan said.

He then asked, "Is this because of a lack of regulation?" Van Zeller answered, "It is because of a lack of regulation." Rogan agreed: "Lack of regulation, lack of oversight."

Rogan mocked the idea that the higher rates work as a deterrent: "Great, good idea, good idea. Deterrent even makes us more money." He also said Meta was "willing to keep the scams on."

He was sarcastic about Zuckerberg's role, too. The show's AI search tool noted that Reuters had found briefing notes prepared for Zuckerberg but could not establish whether he saw them. "How convenient," Rogan said, adding, "Also, you're the CEO." But he then allowed that "when people talk to me, they give the best version of themselves to me."

What the Reuters Investigation Found

The Reuters investigation by Jeff Horwitz, published in November 2025, reported that Meta internally projected that about 10 percent of its 2024 revenue, or roughly $16 billion, would come from ads for scams and banned goods. According to the documents, Meta banned advertisers only when its systems were at least 95 percent certain of fraud. Below that threshold, it charged likely scammers higher rates.

On the show, van Zeller and Rogan called the $16 billion "profit." Reuters reported it as projected revenue, and the figure includes banned goods as well as scams. Rogan said the banned-goods part troubled him less.

Meta disputes the characterization. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told Reuters the 10 percent estimate was rough and overinclusive, and that the documents gave a selective view of the company's approach to fraud and scams.

How Much Americans Lose to Scams

Consumers reported losing $15.9 billion to fraud in 2025 from 3 million reports, the Federal Trade Commission told Congress in March. That was up from $12.5 billion in 2024 and nearly $8.8 billion in 2022.

Van Zeller cited a much larger number, which measures something different. The Consumer Federation of America estimated that Americans lost $148.2 billion to online scams and crimes in 2025. That estimate adjusts for underreporting; the FTC counts only losses people report.

The SAFE Platforms Act

Van Zeller also pointed to the Stopping Abuse and Fraud Enabled by Platforms Act, or SAFE Platforms Act. Rep. Valerie Foushee, a North Carolina Democrat, and Guam's delegate, Republican James Moylan, introduced it the week of Sept. 21 as H.R. 10433.

According to Foushee's office, the bill would require platforms to give users basic "know your customer" information about advertisers, set up a fraud reporting system, and detect and block fraudulent accounts. It would also provide for FTC enforcement and a private right of action, and limit Section 230 protections. The Consumer Federation of America and Public Citizen are among its endorsers.

"Online scams are becoming more sophisticated, and families should not be left to bear the consequences while the platforms being used to facilitate these schemes face little accountability," Moylan said in the release.

He did not discuss its provisions. Van Zeller then read from her notes that the bill would require platforms to verify advertisers before taking their money, make scams easier to report, stop fraudulent accounts from returning under new names and give victims a way to sue. "I mean, all of this I think makes sense," she said.

What Happens Next

Rogan did not expect the platforms to act on their own. "There's not a thing you can say that could be positive about having online scams," he said. "Until someone does something about it, they're just gonna continue to make that money."