Like many embattled comedians before him, Joe Rogan took the controversy swirling around him and turned it into a stand-up routine.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast host performed at the Vulcan Gas Co. in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday night and addressed the brouhaha that has entangled him and Spotify over the past few weeks. It has led to an exodus of major artists such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and India Arie from the streaming platform, not to mention renewed attention to racist remarks Rogan has made in the past.
Rogan, who also came under fire for COVID-19 misinformation, didn’t mince words Tuesday. He joked that even he was put off by a compilation video highlighting his repeated use of the N-word over the years that made its rounds online last week. (It also prompted a new wave of outrage, another apology from Rogan and Spotify and the removal of dozens of his podcast episodes from the platform.)
