WASHINGTON: American podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan, who has been making headlines for his ongoing backlash over his controversial statements that he had made on his Spotify podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience, recently discussed about the headlines on his show.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, in the Tuesday episode of his Spotify podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’, Rogan discussed about the backlash he has been receiving, with his guest- comic Akaash Singh.
“In a lot of ways, this is a relief,” Rogan said adding, “That video [of Rogan saying the n-word in his podcast over the years] had always been out there. This is a political hit job. They’re taking all this stuff I’ve ever said that’s wrong and smushing it all together. It’s good because it makes me address some stuff that I really wish wasn’t out there.”
Rogan also pushed back on right-wing criticisms of his recent apology video, saying, “You should apologize if you regret something. I do think you have to be careful not to apologize for nonsense.”
On the other hand, Singh assured, “Real life is people who know you and you’re a great guy … On a podcast where you’re talking for hours on end, I have said shit about every demographic of human beings possible and I regret every one that was, like … not funny … the punishment is, everybody hears it and I’m an asshole. But I can’t stop shooting, I can’t stop swinging.”
“Over time, people will understand you. They know you. If you misstep, they know what you’re trying to do – you’re not a vicious person, you’re just trying to be funny,” added Rogan.
For the uniformed, the move follows former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who separately weighed in on the comedian’s apology.
“Joe Rogan is an interesting and popular guy, but he’s got to stop apologizing to the Fake News and Radical Left maniacs and lunatics. How many ways can you say you’re sorry?” Trump said on Monday.
Meanwhile DeSantis said, “The mob will come after people, and they’re targeting Rogan because he’s threatening to upset the apple cart on some of the things that they’re holding dear. And with COVID, he’s just bringing opposing views. He’s letting people decide. They say he’s against [the COVID vaccine]. I do not listen to his show, but then I read he specifically advocated for people with co-morbidities and elderly to get vaccinated. I think a lot of the legacy outlets and I think the left fear the fact that he can reach so many people, and so they’re out to destroy him. But what I would say is, don’t give an inch. Do not apologize. Do not cow[tow] to the mob. Stand up and tell them to pound sand; if you do that, there’s really nothing that they’re able to do to you.” Both men are considered likely to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
The outlet informed that the former presidential contender Andrew Yang made headlines by deleting a tweet about Rogan where he had defended the podcaster by saying, “I don’t think Joe Rogan is a racist … The man interacts with and works with black people literally all of the time.”
Yang called the tweet “wrong headed” and said, “It also hurt people, which is never my intent. I’m sorry.”
As per the latest update, on Monday, the Canadian video platform Rumble offered Rogan USD 100 million over four years to move his show from Spotify to its right-wing venue. “We stand with you, your guests and your legion of fans in desire for real conversation. How about you bring all your shows to Rumble, both new and old, with no censorship, for USD 100 million bucks over four years? This is our chance to save the world. And yes, this is totally legit,” Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski wrote.
Rogan has been the focus of a major controversy in recent weeks following musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulling their music from Spotify in protest of the streamer being the exclusive distributor of the comedian’s podcast, which has featured guests in recent months that spread misinformation about the coronavirus vaccines.
The controversy became more heated last Thursday after musician India. Arie circulated a compilation of clips of Rogan using the n-word on his podcast over the years (Arie likewise requested her music get removed from the service).
Rogan took to Instagram to apologize for his use of the racial slur, calling his comments “the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.”
Other celebrities, such as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Jon Stewart, have ventured into the controversy, expressing (and in some cases apologizing for) their own views. Spotify has responded by removing more than 100 episodes of Rogan’s show from its platform that featured controversial guests or content but has otherwise stood by the comedian.
CEO Daniel told his staff in an email over the weekend, “I want to make one point very clear — I do 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,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. (ANI)
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