Three years ago, video game streamer Bruno Aiub decided to start a new podcast, Flow, modeled on The Joe Rogan Experience. “I said, ‘Man, it would be really cool if I did that here in Brazil, since nobody else is,’” he told The New York Times. He interviewed comedians, academics, government officials, and ufologists, drinking alcohol and smoking weed in episodes that lasted several hours. Aiub, who goes by the moniker Monark, quickly became one of the country’s most popular podcasters. His meteoric rise is due in no small part to the model developed by his hero, but as he learned last week, aping Rogan comes with risk. In a February 7th conversation with two members of the Brazilian congress, Aiub argued that Brazil should embrace free speech absolutism, including legalizing...
Here’s a new one for your Steve Albini hot take bingo card: The famously opinionated Chicago producer has come to the defense of Juggalos, even going so far as suggesting that Insane Clown Posse’s fans are better people than Deadheads. “Yes, I’m saying the Juggalos are good,” Albini tweeted on February 7th. “A non-judgmental, inclusive community for people on the fringe, built on a beautiful communion they call ‘family.’ They remind me of punk/queer chosen families and I love them. I haven’t heard much of the music, it’s atrocious. Who cares.” Albini’s take on the fans of the Insane Clown Posse arrived after screenshots of a 2020 Violent J interview with Stereogum went viral. In the interview, the rapper owned up to past instances of homophobia in the duo’s music, calling himself a “fool” ...
Neil Young may have lit the match that sparked an exodus from Spotify, but Joe Rogan poured the gas himself with a now-infamous interview with Dr. Robert Malone. That episode of The Joe Rogan Experience prompted hundreds of scientists and healthcare professionals to chastise Spotify for hosting “mass-misinformation events,” and seemingly served as the immediate inspiration for Young’s decision to leave the platform. Now, the fact-checking podcast Science Vs has interviewed some of the scientists doing research that Malone cited in the interview, going back to the source to demonstrate that he “cherry picked the data” to spread misinformation to millions. Malone has claimed to be an expert on the COVID-19 vaccines, and he did perform some of the foundational experiments ...
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has addressed the weeks-long blowback against his company, and for the “deeply hurtful” remarks that have surfaced from Joe Rogan, whose podcast triggered the latest round of controversy. In a letter sent to Spotify employees, seen by Billboard, Ek says he “strongly” condemns Rogan’s prior use of “racially insensitive language,” which, he continues, does “not represent the values of the company.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Swedish executive has spoken with Rogan and his team about of the content in the show, and, according to Ek, the message got through. The show will go on. Rogan and his under-fire podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, has been the heavily criticized in recent weeks for the raconteur’s decision...
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek called Joe Rogan’s past use of racial slurs “incredibly hurtful,” but doubled downed on keeping Rogan’s podcast on the streaming service. In a letter sent to Spotify staff on Sunday (via The Hollywood Reporter), Ek said he does “not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.” Last week, amid a controversy surrounding Rogan’s penchant for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, the singer India.Arie shared a video highlighting 24 instances in which Rogan used the N-word during episodes of his podcast. Advertisement Related Video Spotify quietly removed 70 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience — at Rogan’s request, according to Ek. Rogan also issued ...
Taking it back: Dwayne Johnson rescinded his previous support for Joe Rogan on Friday following a video of the podcast host’s frequent use of the n-word going viral. Amid the controversy surrounding Rogan’s penchant for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 on his podcast, which has prompted Neil Young and numerous other artists to pull their music from Spotify, Johnson had initially landed on the side of The Joe Rogan Experience host. The actor previously left a comment of encouragement on Rogan’s Instagram, writing, “Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you.” Advertisement Related Video However, all that changed after he became aware of the former Fear Factor host’s frequent habit of using the racial s...
Just as a growing list of artists including Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, and David Crosby have followed Neil Young’s lead by removing their music from Spotify, it turns out a significant number of the streamer’s customers are taking their listening elsewhere, too. According to a new consumer poll by Forrester Research (via Variety), 19 percent of Spotify users have canceled their subscription — or plan to in the near future — in response to the controversy surrounding podcast host Joe Rogan. As a refresher, Rogan — whose The Joe Rogan Experience is the most-streamed Spotify exclusive podcast — has become a hotbed of misinformation about COVID-19, among other nonsense. Spotify CEO Daniel EK has doubled down on his decision to keep ties with Rogan, prompting Young and other ar...
Joe Rogan has apologized for his past use of the N-word, saying in an Instagram video that it was “the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.” The host of The Joe Rogan Experience posted the video apology hours after Spotify took down 70 of his show’s episodes. The removal of at least some of these episodes was apparently due Rogan’s use of racist or other derogatory language. Earlier on Friday, the Grammy Award-winning singer India.Arie highlighted 24 instances in which Rogan used the N-word during episodes of his podcast. While arguing that Arie’s video was “made of clips taken out of context of me of … 12 years of conversations on my podcast, and it’s all smushed together,” Rogan nonetheless admitted that “it looks fuckin’ horrible, even to me.” Adv...
Earlier this week, India.Arie announced she was pulling her music from Spotify because she found the way Joe Rogan talked about race problematic. To prove her point, the singer shared a video compilation that shows the controversial podcaster use the N-word 24 times in 23 different clips. Rogan addressed the video in an apology uploaded to Instagram, calling it “the most regretful and shameful thing I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.” After explaining that the compilation was sourced from “out of context” snippets from “12 years of conversations” on his show, he admitted “it looks fucking horrible. Even to me.” “I know that to most people, there is no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word, nevermind publicly on a podcast, and I agree with that now. I haven’t said...
Spotify reportedly removed 70 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience on Friday evening, according to CNET. The episodes in question all pre-date 2019 and are unrelated to Rogan’s ongoing controversy over COVID-19 misinformation. Rather, the removal of at least some of these episodes was apparently due to racist or other derogatory language. Earlier on Friday, the Grammy Award-winning singer India.Arie highlighted 24 instances in which Rogan used the N-word during episodes of his podcast. Advertisement Related Video “He shouldn’t even be uttering the word. Don’t even say it, under any context. Don’t say it. That’s where I stand. I have always stood there,” said Arie, who earlier in the week pulled her music from Spotify, citing Rogan’s “language around race.” According to the official subredd...