Joe Rogan’s mouth has put Spotify in a tough spot. Anti-coronavirus vaccine comments and racial slurs on some episodes of his popular podcast are forcing the streaming service to weigh difficult choices. Experts say Spotify must decide where it stands on race relations and vaccine misinformation in a society with heightened sensitivity to both issues. There’s also the business decision about what to do with Rogan’s $100 million podcast. It threatens the company's bottom line, but it is also a key part of its strategy to be a one-stop shop for audio. Neither the streaming service nor Rogan was talking Sunday.
Gregory Payan/AP
FILE - Joe Rogan is seen during a weigh-in before UFC 211 on Friday, May 12, 2017, in Dallas before UFC 211. Spotify’s popular U.S. podcaster has apologized after a video compilation surfaced that showed him using racial slurs in clips of episodes over a 12-year span. In a video posted on his Instagram account on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, Rogan who hosts a podcast called “The Joe Rogan Experience,” said his use of the slurs was the “most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.” ( AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
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