Amid controversy over podcaster Joe Rogan’s controversial COVID-19 episodes and some past episodes that contained racial slurs, one video streaming platform is lending Rogan their support.
“We stand with you, your guests, and your legion of fans in desire for real conversation,” Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski said in a letter addressed to Rogan. “So we’d like to offer you 100 million reasons to make the world a better place.”
“How about you bring all your shows to Rumble, both old and new, with no censorship, for 100 million bucks over four years?” the letter continued. “This is our chance to save the world. And yes, this is totally legit.”
Hey @joerogan, we are ready to fight alongside you. See the note from our CEO @chrispavlovski… pic.twitter.com/G7ahfNNjtP
— Rumble 🏴☠️ (@rumblevideo) February 7, 2022
Rogan’s contract with Spotify is reportedly worth $100 million.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a Sunday memo to employees that Rogan, not the company, chose to remove the episodes that some found controversial. One of those episodes featured InfoWars founder and host Alex Jones. That episode did not contain racial slurs. Jones himself is banned from Spotify, but his episode with Rogan had remained on the platform before the most recent controversy.
Rogan has been under fire for his commentary on the COVID-19 pandemic, too.
He had Dr. Robert Malone, the creator of mRNA vaccine technology used in COVID-19 vaccines, on his show in December. Critics say Malone, a known anti-COVID-19 vaccine advocate, used the platform to spread misinformation.
But he has also had doctors who are considered to be in the “mainstream” on his show, including Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent.
Despite the controversies and several artists pulling their music from the platform in protest, Spotify is choosing to protect its investment in Rogan.
“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more,” Ek said in his employee memo. “And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Joe Rogan” by PowerfulJRE.
