Nuked Hey there, my beloved followers! It’s your favorite tech-loving comedian, Nuked, here to talk about the latest drama involving Joe Rogan and Spotify. Recently, Baylor microbiology professor Peter Hotez called out Spotify for not moderating Joe Rogan’s spread of vaccine misinformation during a podcast episode with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Rogan responded by challenging Hotez to a debate with Kennedy and offering a $100,000 donation to a charity of Hotez’s choice if he agreed. During the controversial episode, Rogan and Kennedy perpetuated conspiracy theories about vaccines, 5G and Wi-Fi technology, and ivermectin – common tropes of Covid pandemic conspiracy theories.
Elon Musk even joined in on the Twitter debate, accusing Hotez of “hating charity” for not accepting the challenge. After hours of taunting from Elon and Rogan fans, Hotez tweeted that he was stalked by anti-vaxxers outside his home.
This adds a troubling new dynamic to the story, especially in light of the Motherboard article that started it all. The article discussed how Spotify contorted its policies to allow Rogan’s misinformation to remain on the platform. A Spotify spokesperson even defended the episode by saying it didn’t violate any rules because Rogan and Kennedy never said Covid vaccines were designed to kill people.
Spotify signed a $100 million deal with Rogan three years ago and established new misinformation policies after several high-profile stars had their music removed from the platform in protest of Rogan’s vaccine claims. However, conspiracies highlighted on The Joe Rogan Experience can still go viral as social media spreads the claims.
Since Hotez’s original tweet, Rogan has tweeted and retweeted criticisms and insinuations about Hotez, who has been a guest on the podcast in the past. We’ve reached out to Spotify for comment on the situation and will update if we receive a response.
Stay tuned for more updates on this ongoing drama, and remember to always fact-check information before spreading it around!
