Joe Rogan Podcast Comes to Spotify, but It’s Missing His Episodes With Far-Right Figures
Spotify launched Joe Rogan’s popular podcast this week. But the batch of 1,691 episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience” currently available on the streaming platform is conspicuously missing a several controversial segments.
The Rogan episodes on Spotify omit his interviews with far-right figures including notorious conspiracy monger Alex Jones of InfoWars (whose podcasts Spotify and other platforms pulled in 2018 for policy violations). Other “Joe Rogan Experience” episodes not available include those with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes; ex-Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos; Charles C. Johnson, who’s been described as a “race-baiting troll”; alt-right political commentator and comedian Owen Benjamin; Stefan Molyneux, who “amplifies ‘scientific racism,’ eugenics and white supremacism,” per the Southern Poverty Law Center; and anti-feminist personality Carl Benjamin (aka Sargon of Akkad).
Spotify announced the arrival of Rogan’s podcast in a tweet Tuesday, calling him a “stand-up comic,” “mixed martial arts fanatic” and “psychedelic adventurer,” neglecting to call out one significant element of his brand — a political provocateur who has provided a platform for the far-right fringe.
Also not available on Spotify are Rogan’s podcast episodes with comedians Chris D’Elia (recently accused of sexual misconduct involving, in some cases, teenage girls), as well as Joey Diaz and Tommy Chong.
Reps for Spotify and Rogan didn’t respond to requests for comment.
According to Spotify, “The Joe Rogan Experience” has long been the most-searched-for podcast on its service. The episodes on the service date back to 2009, when the comedian and former TV host first launched the show. Rogan’s deal with Spotify is worth more than $100 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Under the mutiyear licensing pact, “The Joe Rogan Experience” will become exclusive to Spotify later in 2020. There will still be clips from the show on YouTube but full versions of the show will only be on Spotify after the end of the year.
While Spotify will become the exclusive distributor of “JRE,” Rogan will maintain full creative control over the show under the agreement.
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