Joe Rogan responded to the Spotify controversy surrounding his podcast and COVID-19 misinformation.
Rogan posted a video on Instagram Sunday, where he apologized to Spotify for “taking so much heat” after Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removed their music from the app.
The two musicians requested their music be taken off Spotify in protest to the app allowing Rogan to spread misinformation about coronavirus.
Rogan has questioned COVID-19 vaccines on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
After becoming infected with coronavirus in 2021, the podcast host said he took ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug that has no proven benefit against COVID-19.
In a letter to Spotify that has since been deleted, Young cited Rogan’s 11 million listeners per episode and said his podcast has “tremendous influence.”
Young warned that “Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform.”
In Rogan’s Instagram video, the podcast host also apologized to Young and Mitchell, saying, "I'm very sorry that they feel that way. I most certainly don't want that”, after the musicians removed their music from the platform.
Rogan added that he is a fan of Young and said there are no “hard feelings” toward him and Mitchell.
On Sunday, Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek released a statement about how it will handle misinformation about the virus on its platform.
Ek says Spotify is working “to add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19.”
The advisory will direct people to Spotify’s COVID-19 Hub, which provides “data-driven facts, up-to-date information” about the virus.
