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Tag: Joe Rogan

  • Joe Rogan speaks out about Spotify backlash

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: American podcaster and comedian , 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.”

    Joe Rogan”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.

    ALSO READ: Spotify CEO apologises to staff over Joe Rogan N-word controversy

    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)

  • Spotify CEO apologises to staff over Joe Rogan N-word controversy

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Swedish audio streaming platform Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, under fire from critics inside and outside the company over its partnership with podcaster Joe Rogan, said in a memo to employees that it was “deeply sorry” for how the controversy over the podcast host has affected them.

    But after the company’s removal of 70 past episodes ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ amid Rogan’s use of the N-word and racially charged language numerous times on his show, the CEO signaled that Spotify does not plan to terminate its deal to distribute the podcast, reports variety.com.

    “I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answera canceling voices is a slippery slope,” he wrote in the memo on Sunday, which was obtained by Variety.

    ALSO READ: Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify

    Ek said he is “committing to an incremental investment of $100 million for the licensing, development, and marketing of music (artists and songwriters) and audio content from historically marginalised groups”.

    Spotify’s exclusive multiyear deal with Rogan is reportedly worth more than $100 million.

    “If we believe in having an open platform as a core value of the company, then we must also believe in elevating all types of creators, including those from underrepresented communities and a diversity of backgrounds,” the CEO wrote.

    According to Ek, Spotify has had conversations “with Joe and his team about some of the content in his show, including his history of using some racially insensitive language”.

    “Following these discussions and his own reflections, he chose to remove a number of episodes from Spotify. He also issued his own apology over the weekend.”

    ALSO READ: Barry Manilow quashes rumours of removing his music from Spotify

    Rogan has been a controversial figure ever since Spotify inked its exclusive deal with him in 2020, given his friendliness with several right-wing personalities he has hosted on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’.

    The latest controversy over Covid misinformation on Rogan’s podcast has gone beyond the low-level boil that previously accompanied outrage over his show.

    The current boycott was started by Neil Young, who two weeks ago demanded Spotify pull his songs or drop Rogan’s podcast. Young has been followed by a few other artists and creators.

  • Spotify decides to take down Neil Young songs over Joe Rogan Covid vaccination misinformation row

    By Online Desk

    Spotify has decided to remove Neil Young music honouring the musician’s request to do so over its relationship with star podcaster Joe Rogan’s comments about vaccinations.

    Neil Young, the Heart of Gold singer had posted a letter, since deleted, to his management team and record label demanding to remove his music from Spotify, since, Young added, Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.

    “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” he continued. “They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.”

    On his podcast, Rogan has made frequent false and inaccurate claims surrounding vaccines and Covid-19. Earlier this month, a group of more than 250 scientists, doctors and nurses penned an open letter to Spotify condemning the streamer for platforming Rogan and calling on Spotify to warn its listeners about misinformation.

    The singer reportedly has 6.1 m monthly listeners on Spotify.

    Now, the streaming giant said it tried to achieve balance and had removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

    “We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users,” the company said in a statement.

    “With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators.”

    It added: “We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon.”

  • Bruce Lee’s daughter slams Tarantino, says she’s tired of ‘white men’ calling her father ‘arrogant’

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee has slammed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino after he dismissed the criticism of his depiction of the martial arts legend in his movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.

    Tarantino’s impression of Bruce Lee was condemned by Shannon Lee and fans across the globe for showing the late actor as an arrogant figure who loses a fight against the ageing stuntman Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, in the 2019 film. American-Korean actor Mike Moh essayed the role of Bruce Lee in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.

    During a recent appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Tarantino once again defended his interpretation of Bruce Lee, saying while he understands Shannon Lee’s previous criticism, he doesn’t care about others.

    Following his remarks, in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, Shannon Lee urged Tarantino to “take a pass on commenting further” about her father and expressed frustration with “white men in Hollywood trying to tell me who Bruce Lee was.”

    “I’m tired of hearing from white men in Hollywood that he was arrogant and an a*****. When they have no idea and cannot fathom what it might have taken to get work in 1960s and ’70s Hollywood as a Chinese man with (God forbid) an accent, or to try to express an opinion on a set as a perceived foreigner and person of color.  I’m tired of white men in Hollywood mistaking his confidence, passion, and skill for hubris and therefore finding it necessary to marginalize him and his contributions. I’m tired of white men in Hollywood finding it too challenging to believe that Bruce Lee might have really been good at what he did and maybe even knew how to do it better than them,” she wrote.

    In his interview with Rogan, Tarantino also claimed that Bruce Lee had “nothing but disrespect for stuntmen”.

    “He was always hitting them with his feet, he was always tagging- it’s called tagging when you hit a stuntman for real,” said the director.

    “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, also featured actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie.

    The film was nominated in 10 categories at the 92nd Academy Award and led to Pitt winning his first Oscar trophy in best supporting actor category.

    The movie, billed as a love letter to the golden age of Hollywood, also bagged an Oscar for best production design.