Joe Rogan holds a significant amount of power in America due to his highly successful podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which is currently the top-ranked podcast in the world. Rogan uses his platform to engage in discussions with a range of guests, including scientists such as Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and high-profile figures like Elon Musk, often while smoking weed.
However, there are concerns about Rogan’s future with Spotify, which reportedly offered him a $200 million deal for three years in 2020. While his contract’s end date remains unknown, Max Cutler, who managed Rogan at Spotify, recently left the company.
Rogan’s deal with Spotify is non-exclusive, meaning he maintains control over his content while still adhering to the platform’s guidelines. Nevertheless, some speculate that Rogan’s future with the streaming service remains uncertain.
In 2021, the 55-year-old, who is a father of three, garnered attention for his contentious remarks about the COVID vaccine. He had previously stated that he “talks s–t for a living” and went on to suggest that healthy young Americans didn’t need to be concerned about receiving the vaccine. However, he later expressed regret for his statement.
Joe Rogan has come under fire for his past use of the N-word and his comments about transgender people, as well as his recent remarks on Jews.
In particular, his statement that “The idea that Jewish people don’t like money is ridiculous” has drawn criticism. Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Anti-Defamation League, expressed concern that Rogan would use his platform to spread anti-Semitic stereotypes.
This comes as anti-Jewish violence is on the rise and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories are gaining traction in America.
Reached at his New Jersey home this week, Rogan’s estranged father, Joe Rogan Sr., 81, had a message for his son: “Who are you to judge people? Who made you God last night?”
Rogan Sr. told The Post, “I’m not prejudiced. Everybody has got to live and I teach my kids that. This bothers me. The money went to his head and his head got bigger than his hat — he fools people.”
According to multiple sources, Joe Rogan did not violate any of Spotify’s guidelines in a recent episode, which remains available on the platform.
However, some Spotify employees reportedly expressed discontent about his remarks. One insider disclosed that the company is considering updating the guidelines, while a higher-up said that the company has supported Rogan thus far since his comments were in line with the existing policies.
The guidelines released by Spotify last year advise against content that incites violence or hatred towards individuals or groups based on their race or religion, among other factors, or makes dehumanizing statements.
Greenblatt expressed disappointment over Joe Rogan’s lack of response to the anti-Semitic comments, but the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) typically does not recommend penalties except in extreme cases.
The spokesperson for Spotify responded by saying the company is committed to enforcing platform rules and investing in measures to ensure a safe experience for all users.
Rogan’s rise to fame began as a stand-up comedian, actor, and host, but his podcast, which reportedly has 12 million listeners, has made him a cultural phenomenon since its launch in 2009.
It’s quite impressive for someone who once stated, “I’m not a doctor… I’m a f–king moron.”
In 2020, he bid farewell to Los Angeles, where he had resided for twenty years, and relocated with his wife, Jessica, and their daughters, Rosy and Lola, to Austin, Texas. He also adopted his stepdaughter, Kayja Rose, 25, an aspiring singer, after marrying Jessica in 2009. The family shares a vast $14.4 million estate, which includes a studio for the podcaster.
When he was a young child, Rogan’s parents, Susan and Joe Sr., parted ways, and Susan took Joe and his sister, Laura, to San Francisco in 1974 when he was seven years old. Joe Sr. claimed that, despite his own desires, he never saw his children again.
Rogan has accused his father of domestic abuse and described Joe Sr. as a “psychotic person who beat the f–k out of my mother.”
Joe Sr., a former officer at Harrison, NJ Police Department, denies all allegations and told The Post that he had sent his son and Spotify a legal letter in September 2020 to stop Joe Rogan from talking about him. Joe Sr. still wishes to see his son and meet his twin half-sisters, Bridget Carselda and Rosa, both 43.
The girls had tried to reach out to their brother when they were 19, but Joe Rogan rejected their request, according to Joe Sr. The Post has attempted to contact Joe Rogan for a comment.
In his latest podcast episode released on Tuesday, Rogan spoke with Jewish mathematician Eric Weinstein, but he has yet to apologize for his comments.
70 episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience” that contained “racially insensitive language” were removed by Spotify in February 2022, as per the request of the show’s host. Spotify CEO, Daniel Ek, confirmed this.
Last year, Courtney Holt, who recruited Rogan to Spotify and was head of Spotify’s studios and video, left the company, leaving Rogan without a key connection, according to Semafor.
Rogan became increasingly frustrated with public demands to limit his speech on his podcast, leading him to threaten to quit the streaming service last year.
“I will quit. If it gets to a point that I can’t do it anymore, where I have to do it in some sort of weird way where I walk on eggshells and mind my p’s and q’s, f–k that!” Rogan said during a March 2022 episode.
But as Joe Sr. claimed: “He’s a drama queen. He loves drama.”