Here's why Dave Smith is telling everyone he beat Douglas Murray on Joe Rogan's podcast 

Comedian and podcaster Dave Smith hopped on YouTube last week to argue he came out on top in a fiery debate with author Douglas Murray on The Joe Rogan Experience.

The April 2025 face-off, focusing on the Israel-Hamas conflict and who’s qualified to talk about it, has kept social media buzzing. In a 51-minute video filmed while performing stand-up in Chicago, Smith tore into Murray’s follow-up piece in the New York Post and his comments on Real Time with Bill Maher, calling them misleading and sidestepping real arguments. But comments online and on X show a split, with some saying Murray held his ground and others thinking Smith’s obsession with “winning” misses the bigger picture.

What Went Down in the Debate

The debate, hosted by Joe Rogan, pitted Smith, a libertarian comedian who runs Part of the Problem, against Murray, a British journalist and author of The War on the West. Murray took aim at some of Rogan’s guests, including Smith, for their anti-Israel and anti-Ukraine views, saying they lack the background to speak with authority and sometimes spread false claims. Smith and has criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attack, shot back that you don’t need to be an expert to have a valid opinion. He accused Murray of avoiding the actual issues.

In his video, Smith called Murray’s New York Post article, titled “So-called Hamas-Ukraine war ‘experts’ spew false info on Joe Rogan’s podcast,” laughably off-base. He zeroed in on Murray’s claim that Rogan guests like Smith and historian Daryl Cooper downplay historical events, like Cooper’s comment that Winston Churchill was the “chief villain” of World War II. Smith said it’s a debatable take, not a lie, and pointed out Murray’s mistakes, like calling Cooper a comedian and mixing him up with another guest, Ian Carroll.

Smith also got heated about Murray questioning his Jewish background, noting Murray wrote that Smith “claims some Jewish ancestry.” “That’s what being Jewish is,” Smith said, adding Murray wouldn’t say that about someone defending Israel. He further called out Murray for pushing for wars without ever serving in one, saying, “You can’t talk about a place if you’ve never been there, but you can cheer for wars and never fight in them?”

Murray’s Side of the Story

In his New York Post piece, Murray argued that Rogan’s show has leaned heavily anti-Israel and anti-Ukraine, giving airtime to people who aren’t qualified to weigh in. He said Smith, who’s never been to the Middle East, and others like Cooper push “demonstrably false” ideas, though he only pointed to Cooper’s Churchill remark as an example.

On Real Time with Bill Maher, Murray went further, claiming Rogan guests have downplayed Hitler’s crimes, which Smith flat-out denied, saying, “Nobody has gone on Joe Rogan’s show and downplayed the Nazi atrocities.”

Murray described the debate as causing a “podcast world meltdown,” suggesting his pushback on Rogan’s guest choices stirred up listeners. He argued for better standards in new media, saying without them, “new media will lead people into errors and evils far greater than the old media could ever dream of.”

What People Are Saying Online

The debate’s aftermath has unfolded on X and in comment sections, and it’s tough to pin down a clear winner. Some users, especially those with pro-Israel leanings, backed Murray for challenging what they see as sloppy criticism of Israel. Others, who share Smith’s anti-war views, called Murray’s performance “pompous” and weak, saying he dodged Smith’s points. Smith claimed comments on the New York Post article tore Murray apart, but he admitted Murray has fans among those already against him.

The heart of the disagreement, expertise versus open discussion, keeps people talking. Smith argued that people don’t trust experts anymore after things like the COVID-19 lab leak debate or the Hunter Biden laptop story, where he believes officials lied, not just got it wrong. Murray countered that knowledge still matters, especially on heavy topics like war, and that folks like Smith can spread bad info if they’re not careful.

Why This Debate Stands Out

The Smith-Murray clash shows a bigger tug-of-war over who gets to talk about world events now that anyone with a podcast can reach millions. Smith’s video, recorded on the fly during a comedy tour with Robbie Bernstein, drives home his belief that regular people, not just big names, should have a say. His jab at Murray’s “limited hangout” approach, admitting small expert mistakes while defending the system, clicks with folks who don’t trust traditional news. But Murray’s push for standards speaks to those worried about unchecked podcast takes going too far.

The debate also hits hard because of the Israel-Hamas conflict’s weight. Smith’s focus on Gaza’s civilian deaths (over 51,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry) clashes with Murray’s support for Israel’s response to Hamas’s attack. Neither really found common ground, leaving listeners to pick sides based on what they already believe.

What It All Means

Dave Smith’s argument that he outdid Douglas Murray might convince his followers, but the truth is more insidious.

It goes to Dave's long history where he's only too happy to chat to known Jew haters and spread antisemitism. And the truth is that whether he wants to admit it or not, the Joe Rogan podcast really rattled him.

Here's the real tell though: He has been compared to other rabid self-hating Jewish intellectuals like Norman Finkelstein or Noam Chomsky. So if that doesn't tell you where he sits on the spectrum of self-hating Jews, I don't know what will.

I wish he would have just stuck to comedy.

Sources: Dave Smith’s YouTube video, Douglas Murray’s New York Post article, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Joe Rogan Experience, X posts.