GTA 6 controversial celebrity cameo appears online, fans warn it could ruin the game

If you've ever played a Grand Theft Auto game, you'll know that celebrity cameos aren't really something the series is known for.

Sure, stars like Samuel L. Jackson and the late, great Ray Liotta have appeared, but they're playing actual characters rather than showing up as themselves. Grand Theft Auto is a satire of America, and as such gives us versions of well-known figures. Lifeinvader CEO Jay Norris is clearly an amalgamation of tech moguls like Zuckerberg and Musk, for example.

Take a look at everything we know about GTA VI so far:

As such, it's always a bit weird when Rockstar Games throws in a character from the real world. But, according to a new rumour, that's exactly what the developer plans to do with one controversial celebrity.

As spotted on, r/GamingLeaksAndRumours, a leaker known as AudioViser claims that we'll be seeing - or rather hearing - podcasting thumb Joe Rogan in GTA VI. According to the leaker, their source "close to Rockstar Games" says Rogan's podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, will be featured on one of the game's radio stations.

The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the biggest and most listened to podcasts in the world, which I personally find astonishing, but clearly I'm an outlier. Rogan himself speaks and acts exactly like the kind of deranged conspiracy theorist you'd hear on a GTA radio station, so in some ways it's a perfect fit. But others are less sure.

"I see them making fun of him, maybe making a character that’s inspired by him," one user wrote. "But actually straight up hiring him? I don’t think so."

I'd be inclined to agree. It could be that something got lost in translation, and that GTA VI will feature a Joe Rogan-like figure rather than the man himself. Certainly, GTA VI is already going to be a big enough game without bringing Rogan into it.

"It’d be an immediate red flag IMO," another user argued. "Rogan is the type of guy GTA games parody. Straight up hiring him would be tone deaf and be missing the point of GTA’s satire."

In other GTA VI news, it's looking increasingly likely that a reveal is right around the corner. Given Take-Two's confirmation of the game's release window, we certainly wouldn't bet against a big unveiling before the end of 2023. Watch this space.