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Real estate rumors: Podcaster Joe Rogan seeking a new Austin home? Here's where he might end up.

This Santa Barbara-style property in Rollingwood is perfectly fit for Rogan, who might be in search of a new home. (Moreland Properties)
Multi-million-dollar podcaster and highly influential media personality Joe Rogan may be looking for a new Austin home.
The new Austinite purchased an off-market luxury lake house in West Lake Hills for a rumored $28 million last fall. But word on the street is he's unhappy with the property—telling a source that there are too many "looky-loos"—and in search of a more secluded alternative.
If this is the case, he could spend a lot of time looking.
Austin's ultra-luxury housing supply is limited compared to some other Texas metros, such as Dallas and Houston, and may only allow for one $20 million home on the market at a time, according to realtor Cord Shiflet. This leads real estate agents to seek out unlisted properties and make off-market deals. "We're digging every day for homes that people are willing to sell," he said. "We just need to know who these people are… because we've got the buyers to deliver to them," he told Austonia in December.
Rogan's current home is more than 11,000 square feet and sits on a nearly four-acre, tree-lined lot that's hidden behind a wood-and-stone fence on an unlined cul-de-sac off of Bee Cave. Behind the gate, a giant circle drive leads up to the house, which sits on the Colorado River, with a sundeck over the water and two boat slips with a party deck. On a recent morning, the only visitor was a FedEx delivery driver.
Rogan moved to Austin from Los Angeles after his popular—and often controversial—podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, landed a $100 million deal with Spotify. Recent guests include Austin Mayor Steve Adler, comedian Dave Chapelle and pop star Demi Lovato. He records the podcast from a custom-built, in-home studio.
If Rogan is indeed back on the housing market, he might consider the following four properties, which offer seclusion and studio space in his ultra-luxury price range.
A lakefront estate
(Kuper Sotherby's International Realty)
This 4-acre, 10,608-square-foot home sits along 650 feet of Lake Austin waterfront in West Lake Hills. With six bedrooms and seven full bathrooms, its comparable to his current place. Plus it offers a guest house that could be converted into a studio. It is currently listed by Kuper Sotheby's International Realty for $30 million.
An urban escape
(Kuper Sotherby's International Realty)
The 30th floor penthouse at the Four Seasons in downtown Austin offers 360-degree views of Austin and unique touches, such as a 500-pound Taj Mahal quartzite bathroom counter and balconies outfitted with dog-friendly charcoal filtered turf. There is also a media room that could serve as the new The Joe Rogan Experience HQ. It is currently listed by Kuper Sotheby's International Realty for $21.5 million.
A little bit of California
(302 Inwood Drive)
This Santa Barbara-style property is still in development, meaning its future owner will be able to customize finishes and other details. Located in Rollingwood, it offers a view of the downtown skyline and and a lower level complete with a speakeasy space and board room. It is currently listed by Moreland Properties. Price available upon request.
A secluded compound
(Kuper Sotherby's International Realty)
The Retreat at Lick Creek Lodge offers more space—and privacy—than Rogan's current home, located on almost 30 acres in Spicewood, 26 miles outside of Austin. Designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice, the gated property features a media hall as well as a waterfall and private grotto. It is currently listed by Kuper Sotheby's International Realty for $17.5 million.
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Popular
(Paxton Smith/Instagram)
Paxton Smith’s 2021 valedictory speech at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas wasn’t the same speech she had previously shared with school administrators. She dropped the approved speech and made a case for women’s reproductive rights after lawmakers passed the Texas "Heartbeat Bill.”
Her advocacy made news on NPR, YouTubeTV and in The Guardian. Just over a year later, the “war on (women’s) rights” she forewarned has come to a head as the U.S. Supreme Court voted Friday morning to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protection for abortion access.
“It is up to the people to show up and show the courts and the politicians that we won’t sit back and let this happen,” Smith told Austonia Friday morning. “We will show up, we will fight back. Before, we were scared of them, now they should be scared of us.”
Now a University of Texas sophomore and abortion rights activist, 19-year-old Smith said she wanted to give the same speech in the “the most public way possible” to reach “as many people as possible who don't agree that I deserve this right.”
However, she says the response was “actually overwhelmingly positive” and supportive of her cause. According to a recent UT poll, 78% of Texas voters support abortion access in most cases.
The speech opened up further opportunities for activism: she advocated for reproductive rights at the International Forum on Human Rights in Geneva, interviewed with Variety magazine and spoke to tens of thousands at Austin’s Bans Off Our Bodies protest at the Texas Capitol in May.
Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, a national nonprofit organization that helps fund abortions or medication abortion—like Plan C pills—in all 50 states. Most recently, Smith has been attending protests in Washington, D.C. leading up to the ruling.
“This is land of the free. This is where you get to choose how you live your life,” Smith said. “Overturning Roe v. Wade violates everything that we have come to believe about what it means to live in this country. I think a lot of people aren't willing to accept that this is a human right that is most likely just going to be gone for over half of the country within the next couple of weeks.”
Bracing for the next steps, Smith gave some tips for supporters:
- Find a protest to attend.
- “I would say invite somebody to go to those protests with you, invite a couple of friends, invite people into the movement,” Smith said.
- Talk about the issue on social media—use the platform you have.
- “Have these kinds of conversations where people can just talk about their fears and then find ways to go and advocate for yourself,” Smith said.
- Volunteer at a nonprofit near you.
“I feel like a lot of the reason things have gotten as bad as they have within the abortion rights world is that people are not making a scene, not protesting, not putting the effort into ensuring that the government doesn't take away this right,” Smith said. “I want to emphasize that if you're not doing anything, don't expect the best scenario, expect the worst because that's the direction that we're going in.”
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(Council Member Chito Vela/Twitter)
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion, Friday morning. Moments later, Austin City Council set a special meeting for next month to pass a resolution aimed at decriminalizing abortion.
The GRACE Act, which stands for guarding the right to abortion care for everyone, is a twofold plan submitted by council member Jose “Chito” Vela. It recommends that city funds shouldn’t be used to surveil, catalog, report or investigate abortions. It also recommends that police make investigating abortion their lowest priority.
Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who co-sponsored the resolution along with council members Paige Ellis, Kathie Tovo and Mayor Steve Adler, said the importance of the GRACE Act cannot be overstated.
“By introducing this resolution during a special session, City Council is doubling down on fighting back for reproductive health,” Fuentes said. “Items like the GRACE Act will promote essential healthcare while enabling individuals to exercise their bodily freedom.”
The act takes an approach similar to when former council member Greg Casar moved to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Ultimately, state law doesn't allow city officials to order police chiefs to adopt specific enforcement policies so the resolution would be a request to Police Chief Joe Chacon. In May, Politico reported that Vela is having "ongoing conversations" with Chacon about the proposal.
Austonia contacted Attorney General Ken Paxton for comment on the GRACE Act but did not hear back by time of publication. On Friday, Paxton celebrated the overturning of Roe and announced an annual office holiday on June 24 in recognition of the high court's decision.
In a press release, Vela said the Texas state government has a history of overturning municipal protections of human rights. Thirty days after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Texas will ban all abortions, with exceptions only to save the life of a pregnant patient or prevent “substantial impairment of major bodily function.”
Still, Vela expressed hope for the GRACE Act’s longevity. Council’s special meeting on it is set for the week of July 18.
“We know this resolution is legally sound, and Austin is not alone in this fight,” Vela said. “We are working with several other cities who are equally horrified by the prospect of an abortion ban and want to do everything they can to protect their residents.”
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