It sure looks like Spotify has begun quietly breaking up with Joe Rogan
embattled podcaster Joe Rogan.Amid increasing backlash to his spread of COVID-19 disinformation and use of racist language, Spotify has begun making overtures that Rogan’s days with the streaming giant may be numbered.Publicly, Spotify has stood by Rogan up until this point, with CEO Daniel Ek sending a letter supporting him to employees of the company.Behind-the-scenes, however, things appear to be in chaos.Related: Just when we didn’t think the Joe Rogan thing could get any stupider, Caitlyn Jenner entered the chatThe platform recently announced that it would start adding content advisory labels to podcasts dealing with COVID-19 misinformation.
Now, The Independent reports that Spotify has quietly removed over 100 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience. Tellingly, the episodes deal with much more than just COVID-19.Episodes featuring fellow conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and alt-right troll Milo Yiannopolis have gone missing from the platform.
Spotify had previously banned Jones for hate speech, though it did subsequently allow Rogan to interview him on The Joe Rogan Experience.The expunging of more than 100 of Rogan’s episodes coincides with an offer by the CEO of the streaming platform Rumble, who has publicly offered Rogan $100 million to ditch Spotify for his platform instead.Related: Sharon Stone just went Basic Instinct on “a**hole” Joe RoganRumble, which is bankrolled by far-right billionaire Peter Thiel, also has deals with right-wing commentator Glenn Greenwald and ex-LGBTQ ally/former U.S.
