Joe Rogan opens up on Spotify podcast controversy - "I'm interested in telling the truth"
Joe Rogan has often created headlines by discussing controversial topics on his podcast. The UFC color commentator recently gave rise to controversy by hosting several outspoken skeptics of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Amidst immense criticism, Rogan recently opened up on the JRE episodes that featured Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Peter McCullough. Rogan claims he is only interested in initiating interesting conversations with people who have different opinions.
Rogan recently said on Instagram:
"I'm not a doctor, I'm not a scientist. I'm just a person who sits down and talks to people and has conversations with them. Do I get things wrong? Absolutely. I get things wrong, but I try to correct them. Whenever I get things wrong, I try to correct it. Cause I'm interested in telling the truth. I'm interested in finding out what the truth is. And I'm interested in having interesting conversations with people that have differing opinions. I'm not interested in only talking to people that have one perspective."
The controversy regarding Joe Rogan's podcast
Last week, musical icons Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removed their music from Spotify to protest the platform’s support of Joe Rogan.
When Spotify began removing Young’s music, the company said that it has “removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid since the start of the pandemic.”
However, Rogan's podcast with Dr. Robert Malone remains available on the platform.
A major music service picking Joe Rogan over Neil Young is everything Neil Young has been warning us about for fifty years.
Amidst growing concern, Spotify has published its existing rules governing content, claiming it would add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19.
Daniel Ek, the CEO and one of founder of Spotify, wrote in a public letter:
“We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users. In that role, it is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.”
Rogan thanked the podcast for their support and apologized for the trouble they were facing. Joe Rogan further said on Instagram:
“I want to thank Spotify for being so supportive during this time and I’m very sorry that this is happening to them and that they are taking so much heat from it."
With more and more names beginning to speak out against Rogan's podcast, it's likely this debate is far from over.