Joe Rogan Jokes Elon Musk’s DOGE Should Investigate $250 Million ‘Snow White’ Flop Starring Rachel Zegler
Joe Rogan is taking aim at Disney’s struggling Snow White remake — and he’s bringing Elon Musk’s fictional government watchdog, DOGE, along for the ride.
On episode #2298 of The Joe Rogan Experience, the comedian and podcast host jokingly suggested that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should “look into” what he called a baffling box office failure, pointing out the film’s $250 million production budget and underwhelming visuals.
“Oh, wow, that does look bad. It doesn’t look real at all… How much did this cost? They should get DOGE to look into this movie,” Rogan said while speaking to guest comedian Kurt Metzger.
The Disney live-action remake, starring Rachel Zegler, has drawn attention not only for its staggering budget but for the controversial promotional run that surrounded its lead actress. Rogan remarked that the people managing the project should have advised Zegler to stay away from political discourse during press events.
“Imagine you spent 250 million dollars, and you get some young girl, and you don’t kind of talk to her. Like, ‘Hey, you know, don’t get political… just make it about the movie.’”
Zegler, 23, has faced criticism online for comments about the film’s themes, gender roles, and traditional fairy tale tropes — remarks some believe may have alienated parts of the audience. The backlash even led to social media debates and deleted posts, including one from Jonah Platt, son of the film’s producer, who reportedly blamed Zegler’s public comments for negatively affecting ticket sales.
Though Disney has not officially acknowledged any internal discord, speculation has been widespread that the marketing rollout — including Zegler’s perceived dismissiveness of the original 1937 film — may have contributed to the movie’s lukewarm reception.
Rogan’s reference to DOGE comes from a running gag tied to Elon Musk’s imagined department focused on cutting government waste — a fictional idea Musk has previously teased in various posts. Rogan has previously praised the idea and Musk’s vision for corporate and government accountability.
Snow White is one of Disney’s most expensive films to date, and its box office performance will be closely watched as studios evaluate how far nostalgia alone can carry big-budget reboots — especially when controversy and messaging overshadow the movie itself.