Unsupported claim on Joe Rogan's podcast that dewormers cured friends' stage four cancer
On The Joe Rogan Experience in January 2025, Mel Gibson said three friends with stage four cancer no longer had cancer, and when Rogan asked, indicated they had taken ivermectin and fenbendazole. Fact-checkers including AFP and Science Feedback said there is no clinical evidence these drugs treat cancer in people. A 2026 study in JAMA Network Open found ivermectin-benzimidazole prescriptions rough
Editorial timeline of public reporting, not a legal finding.
- Gibson tells Rogan three friends' stage four cancer is gone - Newsweek reported that on The Joe Rogan Experience Gibson said: 'I have three friends. All three of them had stage four cancer. All three of them don't have cancer right now at all.' When Rogan asked 'Ivermectin? Fenbendazole?' Gibson nodded, also mentioned methylene blue, and said 'This stuff works, man.' He said he believed every illness has a natural cure, adding 'I couldn't prove it'. A Gibson representative declined to comment to Newsweek. Mel Gibson Tells Joe Rogan Ivermectin 'Cured' Stage Four Cancer
- Fact-checkers find no evidence the drugs cure cancer in people - Science Feedback rated the claim as having 'inadequate support', saying ivermectin and fenbendazole have shown anticancer effects only in lab cells and mice, with no evidence in humans, and that fenbendazole is approved only for veterinary use. The Canadian Press fact-check team likewise said experts in cancer research and pharmacology say human clinical trials are needed to show the drugs work against cancer. Mel Gibson makes baseless claim on Joe Rogan's podcast that dewormers ivermectin and fenbendazole are effective cancer cures
- AFP says the claim spread across platforms in several languages - AFP reported that the episode had more than 8 million views and that posts about the cancer cure claim spread on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok in English, French, Spanish and German. Oncology experts told AFP that even if the drugs show promise in research, their effectiveness in humans has not been established. Spain's public broadcaster RTVE said its fact-checking unit consulted three oncologists and rated the claim false. Mel Gibson comments on podcast fuel unsupported cancer cure claims
- JAMA study finds prescriptions roughly doubled after the episode - A UCLA-led study published in JAMA Network Open found that ivermectin-benzimidazole prescriptions from January to July 2025, after Gibson's podcast appearance, were roughly double the year-earlier rate, and more than 2.5 times higher among people with cancer. The researchers said the observational design cannot prove cause and effect, but raised concern that patients might delay proven treatments. Ivermectin-Benzimidazole Prescribing Following Celebrity Endorsement