Spotify Removed 70 Episodes of Joe Rogan’s Podcast

Reports have indicated that Spotify has removed approximately 70 episodes of “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Many on the left have attacked Rogan for his promotion of alternative treatments of COVID-19. 

“The apparent removal of the episodes, all of which were recorded years before the pandemic began, was spotted by JREMissing,” CNET originally reported. “The fan-made website uses Spotify’s API to compare available episodes to a database of all episodes recorded.”

Author Michael Malice saidThe platform removed two episodes of Malice from its program. Malice saidThese episodes were taped before COVID-19.

The Los Angeles TimesAccording to reports, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek stated last week that Spotify does not exercise editorial control over podcasts and episodes cannot be removed until they are published.

“At the employee town hall, both Ek and chief content and advertising business officer Dawn Ostroff “repeatedly used the phrase ‘if we were a publisher,’ very strongly implying we are not a publisher, so we don’t have editorial responsibility” for Rogan’s show, said a second Spotify employee who listened to the remarks — and who, like some Spotify employees listening, found the executives’ position ‘a dubious assertion at best.’”

“In a chat linked to the town hall livestream, ‘A large portion of the angry comments were about how Spotify’s exclusive with Rogan means it’s more than just a regular platform,’ said one employee.”

After the news, there was more Business InsiderReports indicate that Michelle Obama, ex-President, and Barack Obama have been looking for a new platform to host their podcast.

Last week, Ek defended the platform’s decision to host the show.

​​“We don’t change our policies based on one creator, nor do we change that based on any media cycle or calls from anyone else,” he said. “Our policies have been carefully written with the input from numbers of internal and external experts in this space, and I do believe they’re right for our platform.”

“Usually when we have controversies in the past, those are measured in months, not days,” he added. “But I feel good about where we are in relation to that and top-line trends look healthy still.”

Interestingly, comedian Jon Stewart defended Rogan and said the hysteria was “overblown rhetoric.”

He stated that “There is no doubt that there’s egregious, hateful misinformation and that it’s deliberately and purposefully moderated” But this reaction to Rogan is, in my opinion, a mistake.”

Instead, Stewart said free speech and engagement should be used to combat so-called “misinformation.”

“Don’t leave. Don’t abandon. Don’t censor. Stewart advised that you engage.

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