Kayja Rose: Everything We Know About Joe Rogan's Step Daughter
Comedian Joe Rogan has proven himself to be a master of rebranding. The multi-hyphenate talent went from comedy and TV hosting to UFC commenting and podcasting and has effortlessly gained a massive amount of followers across all fields.
In March 2019, Slate reported that The Joe Rogan Experience, a podcast where Rogan discusses a mixed bag of anthropological topics from every angle, topped Apple Podcasts' most-downloaded podcast lists in 2017 and 2018. Additionally, the outlet noted that the "YouTube streams of the podcast draw millions of views."
In May 2020, Rogan inked a multi-year licensing deal with Spotify, which will allow the platform to stream his content. However, in an Instagram post from May 19, 2020, Rogan noted that "Spotify won't have any creative control over the show." The deal, estimated at $100 million, is "one of the largest such deals in the rapidly growing podcast business," per the Wall Street Journal.
While Rogan is a huge name and people surely want to learn more about him, the family man tends to keep his personal life private. However, his step-daughter, Kayja Nichole Connor (a.k.a Kayja Rose) is a recording artist ready to make a big name for herself.
Joe Rogan adopted Kayja Rose in 2009
For a man who supposedly "lives the life of a divorced rich guy," Joe Rogan has been happily married to his wife and former model, Jessica Rogan (née Ditzel), since 2009. Joe credits their stability to Jessica being extremely flexible when it comes to his adult, frat boy lifestyle.
In October 2015, the millionaire podcaster told Rolling Stone: "She lets me do whatever I do. That's how we get along well. She doesn't f**k with me." As of this writing, Joe and Jessica have two children together, daughters Lola and Rosy, who were born in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
Prior to meeting Joe, Jessica already had a daughter, Kayja Rose, from a previous relationship with late H-town singer, Keven A. "Dino" Conner. After the couple tied the knot, Joe adopted Rose. Unlike many celeb families who live their lives in front of the camera (*cough* the Kardashians *cough*), the Rogans have a surprising (and respectable) amount of privacy. Rose, while still private in her own right, may be the most open about her personal endeavors and goals.
Kayja Rose is following in her late father's footsteps
Kayja Rose may or may not have the last name Rogan — no one knows for sure. Her parents have done an amazing job of keeping their kids out of the public eye. That being said, Rose doesn't seem to mind the spotlight.
Since 2013, the aspiring singer has been posting short clips showcasing her singing skills, but she seemed to take her artistry more seriously starting in 2017 when she released a five track R&B EP titled Tipsy. After making her official musical debut, Rose continued to release singles, including "Mental," "Submission," "Reborn," "Selfish," and more on her Soundcloud account. As of this writing, she has more than 16,000 followers on Instagram. She uses the social media platform to promote her new songs, which seem to be music to fans' ears.
Her mom, Jessica, has a private Instagram, but makes a few cameos on Kayja's profile — both women just absolutely glowing. Looks like Rose has her eyes set on growing her name, and, hopefully, we'll see the singer have a more mainstream name and platform in the future.
Joe Rogan is surprisingly close with Kayja Rose
In 2012, Joe Rogan appeared on "The Rosie Show" and spoke about his relationship with his then-15-year-old stepdaughter, Kayja Rose. The popular podcaster told Rosie O'Donnell he and Rose were surprisingly close. "She's an awesome kid. She's not just a daughter, she's my friend," Rogan explained. That good relationship did not happen by accident. "We worked really hard making sure that we talk to each other as openly as possible, even about boys and weird stuff that she feels uncomfortable talking about," he continued. Rogan continued that he believed it was vital to make Rose feel included in family discussions, and that her opinion was not only heard but mattered. "She's very smart. She's an awesome kid," he added.
Even though Rose had a budding singing career, she took time off Instagram in late 2021/early 2022. This coincided with her stepfather being embroiled in a controversy where a compilation video of him using a racial slur in past episodes of "The Joe Rogan Experience" went viral.
Shortly after Rogan publicly apologized for his past use of the racial slur, Rose — who is biracial — returned to Instagram in March 2022. However, at the time of writing, her Instagram account had been deactivated again.