Joe Rogan has launched a scathing attack on Jacinda Ardern - complete with a mocking impersonation - after the Prime Minister shut down a COVID-19 press conference that was disrupted by a heckler.
The controversial podcaster took aim at Ardern in an episode of The Joe Rogan experience, where he claimed she was misusing her "ultimate power" as she enjoyed "being the queen".
"If she even gets asked questions at press conferences, if people yell out questions she goes: 'We're going to shut this down, we're going to shut this down if you keep yelling out'," Rogan said, impersonating Ardern with an attempt at the New Zealand accent.
"She just leaves, she's like 'accredited press only'. She took the f**king press conference indoors because they were yelling out about the vaccine programme in Israel," he said.
Rogan is referring to an incident on Tuesday in which a known member of a COVID-19 disinformation group hijacked journalists' question time at a conference in Te Tai Tokerau after the Government announced a $23 million boost to community-led Māori vaccination campaigns.
Despite Ardern saying she would only direct questions to accredited members of the press, the man continued to yell over the journalists and the Prime Minister, asking about the vaccine's efficacy in Israel before the press conference was moved to a new location.
"They have ultimate power now - they have the power to shut down businesses, keep people in their homes. It's not as simple as just protecting people, it's also, they have power," Rogan said of the incident.
"When they have power, they f**king like it, man. Those are the kind of people who run for governor and mayor in the first place, they enjoy telling people what to do. They like being the king.
"'I like being the queen, hoo hoo'," he added in a mock accent.
Rogan's guests on the episode Ari Shaffir and Shane Gillis enthusiastically joined him in condemning Ardern, with Shaffir declaring leaders such as her "want to be bullies" and Gillis dubbing them "dorks".
One of the guests said Ardern was "like a lady Trump" off-camera as Rogan mocked her.
In September, Rogan came under fire after he revealed he had contracted COVID-19 and treated it with a mix of treatments including Ivermectin, which experts strongly advise against.
