Joe Rogan falls into more controversy after leaked audio of racist comments is leaked by India.Arie.
MMA commentator and podcast superstar Joe Rogan finds himself in more hot water after singer India.Arie shared clips of Rogan referring to black neighborhoods as “Planet of the Apes.” This reveal comes shortly after many musicians such as Neil Young boycotted Spotify due to Rogan’s podcast allegedly spreading misinformation.
The leaked footage comes shortly after India.Arie announced that she would also be removing her music from Spotify. She cited that Joe Rogan’s podcast alongside his “language around race” were the reasons why she would be pulling her music from the platform.
After the announcement, Arie shared more detail about her decision by posting a video clip containing audio of Joe Rogan using racially insensitive language.
“He shouldn’t even be uttering the word. Don’t even say it, under any context. Don’t say it. That’s where I stand. I have always stood there,” India.Arie stated in her post.
India.Arie’s decision and comments came after other musicians had also boycotted Spotify – removing their music from the streaming platform. In fact, Arie stated that Neil Young’s decision to pull his music and voicing his concern about Joe Rogan is what encouraged her to come forward with her complaints.
After musicians such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and India.Arie pulling their music from Spotify, the streaming platform lost $2 billion in market value.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek responded to the controversy in an official statement on January 30, 2022. He claimed that Spotify would be adding COVID-19 content advisories to all relevant podcast episodes.
Daniel Ek went on to state:
“This advisory will direct listeners to our dedicated COVID-19 Hub, a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources.”
On January 31, 2022, Joe Rogan responded on social media to the backlash – though notably this was before India.Arie released the footage of Rogan’s past statements on black individuals.
In his post, Rogan stated “I don’t always get it right. I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people perspectives so we can maybe find a better point of view.”
His apology was met with mixed responses – though notably Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson defended Rogan – commenting, “Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you.”
As of the time of this writing, Joe Rogan has yet to respond to India.Arie’s claims and the footage that she had released on social media.
This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available. Stay tuned to the Generation Iron Fitness Network for more updates on all things bodybuilding, strength sports, and fitness.
