Hotez on alleged refusal to debate prominent anti-vaccination figure RFK Jr.: 'I offered to go on Joe Rogan but not to turn it into the ‘Jerry Springer Show’'

Houston-based media outlets reported that a prominent Texas Medical Center (TMC) physician and researcher who stood at the forefront of the Houston medical community’s fight against COVID-19 claims he was confronted at his residence after a tense social media exchange.

Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, shared an article critical of popular audio streaming service Spotify on Twitter to which podcaster Joe Rogan purportedly extended an invitation for him to debate 2024 White House aspirant Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his show.

Rogan supposedly offered a $100,000 donation to a charity of Hotez’s choosing as well.

“I offered to go on Joe Rogan but not to turn it into the ‘Jerry Springer Show’ with having RFK Jr. on,” Hotez said during an appearance on "MSNBC Sunday," according to a report from Houston NBC affiliate KPRC.

The heated dialogue between Hotez and Rogan drew the attention of Elon Musk, Twitter’s chief executive officer (CEO), and Dallas Mavericks Gov. Mark Cuban.

Musk said Hotez didn’t want to face Kennedy “because he knows he’s wrong” while Cuban defended the doctor.

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that a man appeared at Hotez’s doorstep on Sunday and ridiculed him for refusing to talk about vaccines with Kennedy, a well-known anti-vaccination activist.

“Peter, it’s just a question,” the individual, identified as Alex Rosen, said, per the station.

Per KHOU, Hotez took to Twitter after the confrontation and joked, “I was looking my Sunday best in our brutal heat.”

The station reported that he has been the subject of threats and harassment for a while, even having drawn ire over a book he wrote half a decade ago in which he asserted vaccines aren’t to blame for his daughter’s autism.

KHOU reported that Hotez is slated to release another book that discusses what he calls “anti-science.”

According to a report from Houston Daily, he, along with fellow physician and researcher Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, were nominees for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, their names submitted by U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston) for their efforts during the pandemic.

The publication reported that Hotez himself tested positive for COVID-19 in May of that year, but has since recovered.