Vice President JD Vance defended his reaction to controversy surrounding comments made about former first lady Michelle Obama during the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, arguing Wednesday that the public response to the remark was “totally disproportionate.”
Vance addressed the issue during a nearly three-hour appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” where he discussed comments made by UFC fighter Josh Hokit at last month’s event on the White House South Lawn.
During the event, Hokit told the crowd, “Michelle Obama is a man, am I right America?”
Joe Rogan brought up the incident after jokingly asking Vance whether Hokit’s comment or his armbar fighting technique was more surprising. Vance laughed before answering, “Definitely the armbar part.”
Rogan acknowledged that the remark directed at the former first lady was “not the best thing to say at the White House,” but Vance argued the public reaction was far greater than it should have been.
“Fair, but the reaction to it to me was still totally disproportionate,” Vance said. “Dude, people say stuff all the time.”
The vice president said he works in an environment where life-and-death decisions are regularly made and expressed surprise that cultural controversies over comments or jokes often receive so much attention.
According to Vance, Hokit appeared to be seeking a reaction with his statement, and he questioned why so many people responded so intensely.
Vance said people are free to consider the remark offensive, but argued they should simply move on rather than becoming consumed by outrage.
He also compared the reaction to criticism surrounding comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s appearance at a Trump campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in October 2024. During that event, Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating pile of garbage,” remarks that also generated significant backlash.
Vance said that when someone tells a joke he does not find funny, his response is simply not to laugh.
“I’m like, ‘He told a joke,’” Vance said. “And my response to that is, ‘You know, what happens when somebody tells me a joke that’s not funny? I don’t laugh, and then I move on with my life.’”
He argued that what he described as an “industry around outrage,” particularly outrage directed at humor, is having a negative effect on the country.
Rogan laughed as he recalled previously warning Hinchcliffe that making a racial joke was “going to get you stabbed.”
The podcast host also noted that he had criticized Hokit shortly after the White House event. Rogan said Hokit has developed a public persona similar to a professional wrestling villain, adding that if organizers wanted to avoid controversy, he should not have been invited to compete.
Following the backlash, Hokit defended his remarks and declined to retract them. Speaking with podcaster and UFC journalist Ariel Helwani, Hokit insisted he intended the statement as a compliment.
“It’s more like she knows how to deal with adversity, she knows how to work hard like a man when the times get tough,” Hokit said. He also described the moment as an opportunity to highlight freedom of speech in the United States.
UFC President Dana White, a Trump ally, publicly criticized Hokit’s comments, telling Time magazine that he is “completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families.”
Hokit’s remark echoed a conspiracy theory that has circulated among some on the political right in recent years regarding the former first lady. The comments drew widespread criticism from opponents and were also condemned by some supporters of President Donald Trump.
