Amid Controversy, Over 70 Joe Rogan Podcast Content Disappears On Spotify

Joe Rogan uploaded a video containing racial slurs and immediately spread on social media. (photo: Instagram @Joerogan)

JAKARTA - More than 70 episodes of Joe Rogan's podcast have been removed from Spotify, at his own request and amid endless controversy.

The deletion of The Joe Rogan Experience content was confirmed directly by Spotify's CEO, Daniel Ek in an e-mail to his employees yesterday.

Ek and his team told Rogan and his team that several episodes of his podcast contained racially sensitive language, and the comedian chose to remove some of his content from the streaming service.

"Not only are some of Joe Rogan's comments very hurtful, I want to make it clear that they do not represent the values of this company. We must have clear lines around content and take action when they are violated, but canceling votes is a slippery slope," he wrote. Ek in that e-mail.

In addition, Ek said Spotify would disburse $100 million to bring more music and audio content from creators to marginalized groups.

That's the same amount Spotify paid Rogan in 2020 for the exclusive rights to his podcast.

Launching CNET, Monday, February 7, after this incident, Rogan uploaded an apology on his social media. Previously, Rogan uploaded a video containing racial slurs and immediately spread on social media.

"I'm definitely not trying to be racist, and I definitely would never want to offend someone for entertainment with something as stupid as racism," Rogan said.

In his apology video, Rogan also said that he removed one particular podcast episode for what he called a stupid and racist comment he made.

The incident comes amid protests led by musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell against the streaming service for allowing Rogan's podcast to spread misinformation about COVID-19.

The open letter signed by more than 250 medical professionals, researchers and professors also points to Rogan's podcast as evidence that the streaming service is promoting misinformation.