Podcaster Joe Rogan criticised what he described as growing support for communism among young Americans during a conversation with comedian Yakov Smirnoff, who recalled escaping the Soviet Union. Smirnoff said his family secretly listened to Voice of America and feared repercussions for wanting to leave, highlighting the risks and restrictions they associated with life under Soviet rule.

Smirnoff said his family obtained visas through an arrangement linked to the Carter administration, Soviet emigration and American grain supplies. Rogan argued that government control could lead to repression and shortages, while acknowledging that economic inequality may make socialism appealing to some young people; the article also includes similar recollections from conservative commentator Elizabeth Pipko’s family.