New Delhi: The popular app Spotify has removed about 113 episodes from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in the wake of the recent controversy around Joe Rogan. According to news reports, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek had sent a late-night memo in which he had also highlighted Rogan’s use of racially insensitive words.
Reports say that Ek wrote in the memo that some of the comments made by Rogan are hurtful and does not represent the values of Spotify as a company.
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On Saturday, Rogan posted a 6-minute Instagram video apologizing for his use of racist language. In the video, he said that it was “the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.” He also admitted to removing a podcast in which he said that it was like being in ‘Planet of the Apes,” referring to seeing a movie in a Black neighbourhood.
For his racist language, Rogan said he aimed to do better.
“I can’t go back in time and change what I said…. but I do hope that this can be a teachable moment for anybody that doesn’t realize how offensive that word can be coming out of a white person’s mouth – – in context or out of context,” he said.
The move to remove Rogan’s podcast episodes was taken up after Spotify lost billions of dollars after Neil Young pulled his music off the platform. Legendary singer Joni Mitchell supported Young by pulling her music off the platform. Several artists criticized the misinformation around Covid-19 being spread on the Rogan Experience that was a Spotify exclusive podcast.
Later Ek had released an official statement saying that Spotify was working to add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about Covid-19.
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