Spotify has at least seventy episodes of the podcast yesterday The Joe Rogan Experience removed, including episodes featuring podcast creator Tim Ferriss, comedian Theo Von, and marketing professor Gad Saad.
It is unknown why the episodes were removed. Spotify doesn’t say anything about it itself. Fans on the internet forum Reddit speculate that it may have to do with coarse and racist language, such as the use of the n-word.
Last week, Spotify and Joe Rogan came under fire for spreading disinformation about the coronavirus in The Joe Rogan Experience, which an average of 11 million listeners listen to. The artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell demanded that their music be removed from the streaming platform.
Spotify then decided to take measures against the spread of disinformation on the streaming service. It’s unclear if the removal of the episodes is a response to that.
Out of context
Spotify and Joe Rogan have yet to comment on the matter to US media. Rogan did apologize in a video statement on Instagram for the use of the n-word in his podcast.
That statement follows the circulation of a video compilation of clips in which Rogan uses the word repeatedly. “The clips have been taken out of context and all pressed together,” he said in the statement. “It looks terrible, even to me.”
Rogan admits that he used the n-word regularly years ago and that he now regrets it. The podcast maker does not address the episodes that have been removed from Spotify in the statement. Most of the episodes that have been pulled from the platform were already recorded years ago.
It seems unlikely that the podcasters themselves have asked for the episodes to be removed from Spotify. With Tim Ferris, from which at least one episode has been removed, other episodes are still online.
