Saying that Joe Rogan is a controversial figure would be an understatement.
Rogan is a fiery UFC commentator and a die-hard supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders, who speaks his truth whether the other side wants to hear it or not because, like all Americans, he has the right of free speech.
Recently, it was announced that the comedian had signed a massive deal with Spotify to broadcast his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
Quickly the news of the acquisition went viral, and the reactions from critics were strong and harsh. Some of Spotify’s employees took things a step further and demanded a form of censorship.
Those, who are against Rogan’s rhetoric, had demanded that the company put in place a “direct editorial oversight” that would make it possible to label which of his content and comments are false.
Most recently, the podcast host outraged people by inviting the author of IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, Abigail Shrier, for a lengthy conversation.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Rogan addressed the controversy by saying: “Spotify has said nothing. Listen to me. Nothing. They haven’t said anything to my manager. They haven’t said anything to me. They’ve said nothing.”
He went on to reveal why he is being attacked: “Now, is there someone at Spotify that’s complaining about the Abigail Shrier episode? I’m sure I’m sure there’s someone that’s complaining about it. Is it a transphobic episode? It’s not. They’re wrong. They’re not. It’s nothing to do with that. It has to do with the fact that human beings are actually malleable. We all know that. That’s why cults exist.”
Rogan continued to defend himself by saying: “But that, that is what people do when they’re trying to discredit someone, and it’s, what they’re doing is they’re— they’re, they’re not honest. It’s not an honest take. It’s not a real honest take on who a human being is. It’s a denial of nuance. It’s a denial of all the complexities that make a human being.”
Rogan called out Spotify for being a hypocrite by playing violent music about killing cops.
He made this remark on the matter: “Look, people are so malleable, they’re so easily influenced, and for us to deny that doesn’t do anybody any good, doesn’t do anybody any service. So this is the main issue they had with that, you know. This is the, apparently, this is the main problem they had with this one particular episode [with Abigail Shrier], and I’m sure they’ve had issues with other episodes as well, but like I’ve said before: I’m talking off the top of my head, and a lot of times, I’m saying sht I don’t even mean because I’m saying it because this is a fcking podcast. And if you have a problem with people saying terrible sht and you work for Spotify, maybe you should listen to some of the lyrics. Ok? Because some of the lyrics in some of the fcking music you guys play over and over and over again makes my sht pale in comparison. Pale. If you’re listening to some rap music right now— I’m not anti-rap, I love rap music. I’m– I’m fuckng saying, go back and listen to NWA. Go back and listen to some of the early sh*t. Like go back and listen to Ice-T, “Cop Killer” From the Body Count days. Whew.”
Rogan’s open exchange format has made him a target for critics, but it is also what makes him so popular with some.
