On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in which Joe Rogan had a conversation with fellow comedian and Colorado-native Sam Tallent, the topic of Colorado came up as the two discussed the potential of Rogan opening a second location of his popular Mothership comedy venue in the Mile High City.
As the conversation continued, Rogan went into his history with the state of Colorado, calling it his 'escape from Los Angeles' after moving to the Boulder area in 2008.
Rogan notes that he wanted to 'live in the woods,' remembering how his family ultimately lost a dog to a mountain lion and how a neighbor's vehicle was destroyed by a local bear just before his arrival to the state.
"I went too far out, I should have been in Boulder proper, the city," says Rogan, noting his wife would have likely preferred that option opposed to their home at 8,455 feet of elevation.
It wasn't the presence of wildlife or the distance from the city that caused Rogan to move though. Rogan pinned the decision to head back to California on his wife's pregnancy.
Rogan claimed that Colorado's high elevation can cause problems when it comes to pregnancy due to the lack of oxygen. While he cited a high number of premature birth rates in Colorado as evidence of that (which isn't quite true per data from the CDC ), studies have shown that elevation can make pregnancy riskier and more difficult.
Per a report published on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus website , high elevation can make getting enough oxygen to a developing fetus more difficult, with pregnant women above 8,000 feet, for example, producing babies that tend to weigh less. Additionally, these pregnant women have a higher risk of developing preeclampsia, which is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.
"The incidence of low birth weight in Colorado is consistently greater than the United States average, despite premature-delivery rates being well below the national mean," reads the CU Anschutz report from Colleen Julian, PhD.
With around 250,000 people living above 8,200 feet of elevation in Colorado when the report was published – likely more now – it makes sense that the topic was being studied in the Centennial State.
"It's really rough on pregnant women, it's like having the flu," said Rogan of the symptoms his wife seemed to be experiencing while pregnant in Colorado. "So we went back to Los Angeles for something, and then immediately she felt better." Rogan noted that his wife not being acclimated properly to Colorado's elevation prior to her prergnancy was suspected as a factor.
The couple made the official move back to California shortly after that realization.
Ultimately, Rogan and his soon-to-be wife Jessica Ditzel lived in the Gold Hill area for about four months, which is located at an elevation of 8,455 feet 10 miles northwest of Boulder.
"I always had this itch to get back there," said Rogan of Colorado. "The mountain areas above Boulder are so amazing [...] you're driving down the road and you're like 'Am I in a f%$king movie? Or is this how I get to my house?,' because this seems like a movie, it seems too good. [...] Real nature, like mountains and trees and the sunlight going through the leaves. It's like 'Oh my God,' it's incredible. It's like your day is enriched by the beauty of it all, and also you're humbled by it. It's a good thing for the soul."
Perhaps Rogan will end up spending more time in Colorado someday, especially if he were to open up a comedy club locally, but for now, he seems content with his pandemic move to Austin, Texas.
Joe Rogan remains married to Jessica Ditzel and has two children with her, also adopting Ditzel's daugher from a prior relationship.
The full podcast episode with Sam Tallent of Elizabeth, Colorado can be found here .
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