Joe Rogan was already one of the nation’s most popular and controversial media figures, even long before COVID-19 burst onto the global scene.
The former television host’s podcast has never shied away from bizarre and scandalous topics – from government coverups of the UFO phenomenon, to high-powered psychedelic drugs, Rogan’s show has been a catch-all for the counterculture over the years, and has given a voice to some of the lesser-known, (or believed), theories on a vast variety of pop culture subjects.
But his comments on COVID-19 have struck a nerve of late, with artists like Neil Young removing their music from Spotify due to Rogan’s continued presence on the platform.
Now, even the White House is weighing in.
Spotify announced a decision Sunday to include content advisory warnings on Rogan’s interviews about the coronavirus pandemic with sources dissenting from the government narrative about the virus.
“It’s a positive step but more can be done,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during the daily briefing on Tuesday.
Spotify acted to address the situation after musicians Neil Young and Joni Mitchell asked the company to remove their music from their platform as part of a protest of Rogan’s interviews.
That wasn’t all.
But Psaki called on technology and media platforms to do more to censor what she described as “misinformation” about the virus.
“That certinaly includes Spotifly (sic) she said, mispronouncing the tech platform’s name.
Rogan has acknowledged the controversy publicly already, and has seen a number of other celebrities and free speech advocates come to his side.
