In an interesting twist of family ties, it turns out that Gerard Way, the frontman of alternative emo rock band My Chemical Romance, is related to none other than podcast host Joe Rogan.
The surprising revelation came to light during an October 2019 episode of Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, where filmmaker Kevin Smith, a mutual friend of Way, 47, and Rogan, 57, posed the question about their familial connection.
According to Smith, Way mentioned that he is related to the podcaster, saying, “I don’t have 100 percent confirmation on this, but I’m pretty sure Joe Rogan is my cousin because my Aunt Josie was his grandmother.” To this, Rogan confirmed, “Yeah, I don’t know him, but we’re cousins.”
Smith, 57, remarked, “How crazy that two people in the same family became super f**king famous and don’t even––,” before getting cut-off by Rogan who finished his sentence, saying, “Yeah, we don’t know each other.”
For fans of My Chemical Romance, Rogan and Way’s connection comes as a huge surprise. Many took to the comments of the Youtube clip to express their shock.
“This is a title I didn’t expect to see today,” replied one fan. Another questioned why Rogan hasn’t had his cousin on his show, saying, “It’s strange that joe hasn’t had Gerard on seeing as joe is a fan of comic books and Gerard is comic book artist AND a wildly popular musician.”
Others mentioned how they left out Gerard’s younger brother, Mikey Way, who is also in the band. “Two people in the family? Mikey way crying in corner,” said one fan. One noted, “Mikey Way too. The bassist for MCR, Gerard’s brother.”
Gerard’s career skyrocketed with MCR, a band that formed in 2001 and became a cultural phenomenon with hits like “Welcome to the Black Parade.” Beyond music, he has also achieved success as a comic book artist and writer, notably with The Umbrella Academy, which gained fame through its Netflix adaptation.
Meanwhile, Rogan has had a huge career transition himself: he went from being a stand-up comedian, to host of Fear Factor, to a prominent figure as a commentator in the UFC and mixed martial arts world before becoming the host – and personality – of the Joe Rogan Experience.