Former trans musician makes Joe Rogan request after saying he’s a man again

Keith Caputo, the lead vocalist of metal band Life of Agony, has expressed a desire to be interviewed by Joe Rogan after announcing he’s detransitioning to live as a man again.

In a recent post shared on his Instagram account, Caputo, 50, revealed that he had stopped taking hormones several years ago and was awaiting surgery to remove his breasts, after detractors criticized his more masculine appearance.

Caputo, who publicly came out as transgender in 2011, also shared that he would be returning to his given name of Keith. As of press time, his social media handles still identified him as “Mina Caputo.”

In the midst of discussing his journey on Instagram, Caputo also stated that he wanted to make an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, which ranks as one of the most listened-to podcasts in the world.

“I wish someone like Joe Rogan can come grab me so I can tell my story in depth, because I’ll keep myself on the show for like three hours,” Caputo said. “I can get into it all, because I understand it. I know what hormones do to the body. I know what it did to me. It castrated my soul. Not only does it castrate you physically, but mentally, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually.”

Newsweek has contacted a representative of Rogan via email for comment.

Rogan has commented on transgender issues on a number of occasions on his podcast. During a previous episode, he said that “if a woman is in a locker room with a fully intact man who’s 6 foot 4, is walking around and pretending he’s a woman, that’s madness.”

Last year, Rogan called TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who is transgender, “a confused person,” amid backlash over a marketing collaboration with Bud Light.

Views on Trans Issues

Caputo has now dedicated much of his social media space to criticizing transgender women in sports and taking a stance against children being allowed to transition.

Many Americans agree. According to a Gallup poll conducted in May 2024, over 60 percent of Americans opposed laws banning gender-affirming care for minors, while well over 30 percent supported them. Some 59 percent of Americans also opposed allowing transgender athletes to play on sports teams that match their gender identity compared to 19 percent who supported it, per a YouGov poll from January, 2024.

Additionally, around 43 percent of Americans opposed allowing transgender people to use bathrooms that match their gender identity compared to 31 percent that support it, according to the YouGov poll.

Discussing his own detransition, Caputo said in his video: “Yes, I’m off of hormones six, seven years now, and this January, 2025, my surgery has been booked to remove my fake breasts.”

“I will be lovingly living in my divine male self,” he went on. “I’ve cured my gender dysphoria. Took many years, a lot of walking through the fire, but I rose above my misunderstandings of my soul and my spirit.”

Caputo, who said that he’s now at “a place where there’s no more pain,” said that he had gone through “years of trauma work [and] plant medicine therapy.”

“I’m making this video because a lot of people were throwing me shade and, you know, saying I look ugly and I look like a man and all this s***,” he continued. “It’s like, honey lamb, I am a man. I always was a man. You know, you’re just not used to hearing authentic people speak. You’re used to people spitting lies at you about their identity.”

He added that “all the real transsexuals know what I’m talking about, because they own their authenticity. They’re not about violating women’s rights or the innocence of children and all that.”

‘Gender Dysphoria’

“I’m very against transitioning children medically and especially surgically,” he continued. “Hormones are disgusting. I can’t even begin to tell you how many side effects I went through, and I can’t believe more trans people don’t speak about the side effects of being trans or having gender dysphoria.”

“I’m changing my name back to Keith,” he also announced. “I’ve had gender dysphoria for 40-plus [years], for as long as I can remember. I’m 50. I’m gonna be 51. I’ve had it my whole life, and I’m very happy I never had parents that made any decisions for me, because now… I can’t even find the dysphoria anymore.”

“I’m very proud of myself,” he later stated in the lengthy video. “I’ve been through so much over the years. I wouldn’t wish gender dysphoria are my worst enemy. It’s one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever been through in my life, and I’m just I’m so happy that it’s f****** over and I don’t even recognize myself anymore.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone back in 2017, Caputo spoke about life before coming out as trans. “I couldn’t bear pretending to be a boy anymore in this f****** world,” Caputo said. “I really wanted to just let her out. It was f****** killing me.”

Caputo also discussed how he was born to heroin-addicted parents, leading to him being raised by his paternal grandparents. Per Caputo, his grandfather was physically abusive to him and his grandmother.

“My grandmother used to dress me to go to school, and I asked her, ‘Why can’t you dress me in girls’ clothes?'” Caputo said at the time. “‘You’re not a girl. Don’t tell Grandpa you want to dress up as a girl and go to school. He’ll f****** kill you. He’ll kill me.'”

Sharing further insight into his upbringing, he told the publication: “I was a racist. I was a homophobe. That’s why I hated myself. I grew up with an Italian, wife-beating, maniacal f****** psycho that hated anything and anyone who wasn’t Italian. He hated gays, transsexuals, Jews. A lot of us came from that.

“I knew it was wrong to feel and think that way, but when you’re in the throes of being raised by people like my grandparents, you can’t even put up an argument. Everything was ‘n***** this, n***** that’ and ‘f****** f***** this’ and ‘f***** that.’ ‘Paint your hair red, you f**?’ It’s how we were raised.”

Gemma Stone, a transgender journalist who is co-founder of news website Trans Writes, told Newsweek that Caputo’s new stance on transgender issues is “regretful.”

“I wish Keith the best in his detransition and wholeheartedly believe he should be able to live his life on his own terms and in receipt of whatever gender affirming care makes that easier for him,” Stone said.

“It is regretful that he doesn’t wish the same for me or other transgender people, especially trans youth.”

Stone added that while Caputo continues on his journey, “I will be supporting trans youth facing conversion practices and being kicked out of their homes.”