Rupert Lowe on Vaccines, Ivermectin and Being 'Pureblood': The Joe Rogan COVID Exchange

Joe Rogan's audience has been a consistent home for heterodox COVID-19 views since the pandemic, and Rupert Lowe's appearance in episode #2524, published on 8 July 2026, was no exception. The exchange between Lowe and Rogan on vaccines, ivermectin, and NHS mandates was relatively brief compared to other subjects in the episode, but produced some of the most shareable moments.

Here is a factual account of what Lowe said, with his statements presented as his own claims throughout.

"Pureblood": Lowe's Term for Being Unvaccinated

Lowe described himself during the episode as a "pureblood." The term is used within certain online communities to describe individuals who did not receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and it carries connotations of pride in that decision rather than reluctance or inability to access the vaccine.

Lowe's use of the term was apparently deliberate. He was not describing a medical circumstance but identifying with a position: that declining the COVID-19 vaccine was the correct choice, and that the word "pureblood" is an appropriate way to describe it.

The context for this is significant. The Joe Rogan Experience has been associated with vaccine scepticism since at least 2021, when Rogan's own COVID treatment — which included ivermectin — attracted widespread attention. Lowe's use of "pureblood" was likely to resonate with a portion of Rogan's existing audience.

NHS Vaccine Mandates

Lowe's criticism of vaccine policy focused specifically on NHS workers. He told Rogan that NHS employees had been required to receive a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine as a condition of continued employment, and he presented this as an unjustified infringement on personal medical decisions.

The UK government did introduce a requirement for NHS workers in England to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of deployment. The policy was announced in November 2021 but was subsequently reversed before coming into force in March 2022, following significant opposition. Lowe's criticism of the mandate may refer to the period during which it was announced and anticipated, even if it was ultimately not enforced.

Lowe framed the mandate as emblematic of a broader disregard for individual rights during the pandemic — a pattern he presented as consistent with wider institutional failures he discussed across the episode.

Praising Ivermectin: The Uttar Pradesh Claim

Lowe praised ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment and cited the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh as an example of a region where, in his account, it had been used effectively.

The claim about Uttar Pradesh and ivermectin became a widely circulated talking point in anti-lockdown and vaccine-sceptic communities. Proponents argued that Uttar Pradesh's reportedly low COVID death rate was evidence of ivermectin's effectiveness. Critics argued that the comparison was confounded by factors including age demographics, underreporting, and the timing of other interventions.

Lowe did not engage with the counterarguments in the interview. He presented the Uttar Pradesh case as a positive example and moved on.

CNN and the "Horse Dewormer" Coverage

Lowe referenced CNN's coverage of ivermectin, specifically the "horse dewormer" characterisation that became one of the most-repeated media descriptions of the drug during the pandemic.

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug used in both human medicine and veterinary contexts. The "horse dewormer" framing was used by several news outlets in coverage critical of individuals using veterinary formulations of the drug to self-treat COVID. Critics of the coverage, including Lowe, argued that the framing was deliberately dismissive and ignored ivermectin's legitimate history as a human medicine.

Rogan himself has been central to this debate — he faced criticism from CNN anchor Don Lemon and others in 2021 over his own ivermectin use, which he publicly discussed on his podcast. Lowe's reference to CNN's coverage in the context of this particular interview was a topic both he and Rogan were clearly comfortable with.

How the COVID Exchange Fits the Broader Interview

Lowe's COVID positions were not presented in isolation. They were part of a wider argument he developed across the episode: that British and Western institutions — governments, public health bodies, broadcasters — systematically misled the public and suppressed dissenting views, and that the consequences of that suppression are still being felt.

His vaccine scepticism sits alongside his criticism of the BBC, his claims about government suppression of rape gang data, and his description of social media arrests as part of the same picture: a state and media apparatus that, in his view, punishes honesty and protects power.

Whether or not one accepts this framing, it explains why Lowe's appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience — a programme that has consistently championed the same sceptical posture toward institutions — generated close to a million views within its first 15 hours.

Full Coverage of JRE #2524

The COVID exchange was one of several major topics in Lowe's appearance. Other articles cover:

• The Full Episode Breakdown
• What Did Rupert Lowe Say About Dunblane?
• The 250,000 Figure: Lowe's Rape Gang Report
• Immigration, the BBC and Free Speech
• Restore Britain and the 2029 Deadline

Rupertlowe.co is an independent information resource. It is not affiliated with Rupert Lowe or any political party.