A bombshell lawsuit has landed at the doorstep of a pharma company co-founded by controversial podcast host Joe Rogan over “misleading” advertising. The filing alleges that Onnit Labs Inc., a brainchild of Rogan himself, has been peddling a cognitive enhancement supplement, ‘Alpha BRAIN,’ under false pretenses, sparking a firestorm of controversy over its dubious efficacy claims.
The complaint, filed on April 23, charges Onnit with duplicitous marketing tactics, accusing the company of boldly asserting that ‘Alpha BRAIN’ skyrockets memory, focus, and mental agility, despite a damning revelation: a clinical trial, funded by Onnit itself, reportedly debunked these lofty assertions, branding them as nothing short of smoke and mirrors.
According to the lawsuit, the ‘Alpha BRAIN’ supplement floundered in clinical tests, often performing no better than a sugar pill. Shockingly, in some cases, the placebo outshone the purported brain booster, leaving consumers bamboozled and disgruntled.
Although Joe Rogan’s name is conspicuously absent from the list of defendants, his association with Onnit looms large. The lawsuit paints a sordid picture of Rogan’s podcast, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ allegedly serving as a megaphone for Onnit’s questionable wares, thrusting them into the spotlight of millions of unsuspecting listeners.
In a damning twist, it’s revealed that Aubrey Marcus, another prominent figure in the podcasting realm and purported co-founder of Onnit, remains conspicuously unscathed by the legal maelstrom, despite his alleged involvement in the company’s inception.
Rogan’s fervent endorsement of the ‘Alpha BRAIN’ line, showcased in a tantalizing YouTube clip from 2022, now stands as a stark contradiction to the allegations laid bare in the lawsuit. The clip depicts Rogan touting the supplement’s purported benefits, staunchly defending its efficacy against skeptics with claims of rigorous scientific validation.
“It’s not horse s*** or snake oil or placebos, it’s real,” Rogan said in the clip.
Yet, behind the glossy veneer of marketing hype, the lawsuit alleges a much grimmer reality. It exposes Onnit’s reliance on a dubious self-funded study from 2016, purportedly cherry-picked to support inflated claims of cognitive enhancement. However, upon closer scrutiny, the study’s purported findings crumble under the weight of scrutiny, revealing scant evidence of any substantial cognitive improvement.
The lawsuit thrusts the spotlight onto Onnit’s flagship product, ‘Alpha BRAIN,’ alleging a litany of false promises that promise consumers the moon but deliver mere dust.
With millions of bottles sold and a target audience spanning students, professionals, gamers, and beyond, the fallout from this legal showdown could send shockwaves through the supplement industry.
The plaintiff, Jean Paul Lotz, alleges that he was hoodwinked by Onnit’s marketing machinations, prompting him to seek justice on behalf of all New Yorkers who “fell prey to the ‘Alpha BRAIN’ illusion.”
