Joe Rogan has broken his silence over the controversy that has seen artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell boycott Spotify because of his podcast, claiming that he’s “very sorry” and disclaimers will be added soon.
Joe Rogan has come under fire for spreading misinformation on his podcasts in recent months after having controversial guests whose opinions on important topics differ from the scientific consensus on his show.
This prompted a wave of singers, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, to boycott Spotify for allowing him to do this. They demanded that their music be removed from their platform, which sparked a movement on social media.
Rogan has remained tight-lipped on the situation.
However, he finally broke his silence on January 30 and said he’s “very sorry” about the situation and that Spotify will add disclaimer messages to controversial episodes, which he’s on board with.
“Because of this controversy, Neil Young has removed his music from Spotify,” he said. “Joni Mitchell and some other people want to as well. I’m very sorry that they feel that way. I most certainly don’t want that. I’m a Neil Young fan. I’ve always been a Neil Young fan.
“One of the things Spotify wants to do, which I agree with, is put a disclaimer and say that these people and the opinions that they express are contrary to the consensus of experts. I think that’s very important.”
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He also said that he plans to make some changes, like having more experts with different opinions on the controversial ones. “I’d most certainly be open to doing that. I want to talk to some people that have differing opinions..”
Finally, he reiterated his point that the podcasts are “just conversations,” and because of that, he sometimes has “no idea” what he’s going to talk about until he sits down. “That’s why some of my ideas are not that prepared or fleshed out because I’m literally having them in real-time.”
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Rogan thanked Spotify for supporting him throughout the backlash and apologized for the “heat” he’s put them through. He said: “I want to thank Spotify for being so supportive during this time. I’m very sorry this is happening to them and that they’re taking so much heat from it.”
Spotify also confirmed the news. “It’s become clear that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time. These issues are incredibly complex. We’ve heard you.”
