Joe Rogan defends podcast and apologizes to Spotify for backlash

Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Joe Rogan Experience has been the subject of controversy due to the fact that Neil Young and other artists have removed their music from the service because of it. Rogan defends his decision to book contentious guests, apologizes to Spotify for the backlash, and details how the show may change in the future in a nearly ten-minute video uploaded to the internet.

Rogan says that the podcasts are strange because they are just conversations. I do my best with my ideas, but they are just conversations, and I think that's also why some of them aren't prepared. It is one of the things that makes it interesting. I am very sorry that this is happening to them and that they are taking so much from it, and I would like to thank Spotify for being so supportive during this time.

The controversy has focused on two guests, Dr. Peter McCullough and Dr. Robert Malone. Science Feedback fact-checks guest claims on The Joe Rogan Experience and found that both of them made false claims. Rogan says that the guests are very intelligent and accomplished, and they have an opinion that is different from the mainstream narrative. I wanted to hear their opinion.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joe Rogan (@joerogan)

Rogan takes issue with the guests being labeled "misinformation" despite the widespread debunking of many of their statements. He doesn't address their other claims.

I don't know if they're right, I'm not a doctor. I am not a scientist. I am just a person who sits down and talks to people. Is it possible that I get things wrong? Absolutely. Whenever I get something wrong, I try to correct it. I try to correct it because I want to tell the truth. I'm interested in finding out what the truth is, and I'm interested in having interesting conversations with people who have different opinions. I don't want to only talk to people with one perspective.

Rogan is unrepentant about booking guests with differing opinions, but he is open to ways in which the show could improve. He agrees with the plan to label episodes with content advisories and disclaimers. He wants to have more experts with differing opinions after the controversial ones.

I will try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people's perspectives so we can find a better point of view. I want to show all kinds of opinions so we can figure out what's going on in the world.

The rights to host Rogan's show exclusively was struck by Spotify. Multiple controversial Joe Rogan Experience episodes didn't meet the threshold for removal, according to documents seen by The Verge.