According to the New York Times, Joe Rogan was paid at least $200 million to host The Joe Rogan Experience exclusively on its platform, double the Wall Street Journal's initial reported figure of $100 million.
Comedian Joe Rogan performs at The Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena, California. The photo was taken by Michael S. Schwartz.
Two unnamed sources who spoke to the Times said there was a chance for Rogan to earn more than the initial $200 million from the deal.
According to the Times, Daniel Ek told employees at a company meeting that Rogan's show is essential for the streaming service to compete with tech leaders.
The board of directors was concerned about the company not being quick enough in responding to Rogan's recent controversies when he was first brought on in May 2020, according to unnamed sources.
Rogan and Spotify didn't respond to the report immediately.
Ek released an internal apology letter to its employees last week after older clips of Rogan using racial slurs and other derogatory language resurfaced online, but the company said it would not be removing Rogan from its platform. The Covid-19 content warning was added to Rogan's show after he and the company faced criticism for promoting misinformation. Artists like Neal Young and Joni Mitchell have removed their music from the platform in protest of Rogan's guests spreading false claims about the epidemic. When Rogan contracted Covid-19 in September, he told his 14.6 million followers he had taken a drug cocktail that included the drug ivermectin, which the Food and Drug Administration does not recommend as a treatment for Covid-19.
93. According to the Times, The Joe Rogan Experience is the most listened to show on the platform. The Washington Post estimated last month that the show averaged 11 million listens per episode.
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