Joe Rogan has made light of some of the recent controversies he has been embroiled in during his return to the stand-up stage.
The comedian and The Joe Rogan Experience presenter has faced a heavy public backlash in recent weeks, with particular criticism focusing on vaccine misinformation and his past use of racial slurs on his Spotify-hosted podcast.
Spotify has also been condemned for their exclusive deal to carry Rogan’s podcast, with artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell withdrawing their music from the platform in protest.
Performing a comedy show in Austin, Texas, Rogan addressed the controversies.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Rogan told the crowd: “I used to say [the N-word] if [I was talking about] a Richard Pryor bit or something. I would say it in context.
“Somebody made a compilation of every time I said that word over 14 years and they put it on YouTube, and it turned out that was racist as f***. Even to me! I’m me and I’m watching it saying, ‘Stop saying it!’ I put my cursor over the video and I’m like, ‘Four more minutes?!’”
“I haven’t used that word in years,” he continued. “But it’s kind of weird people will get really mad if you use that word and tweet about it on a phone that’s made by slaves.”
Rogan then discussed labour conditions in mobile phone production facilities outside of the US.
He also addressed the criticism of vaccine misinformation on his podcast, telling the audience that it was “baffling” to him.
“I talk s*** for a living — that’s why this is so baffling to me,” he said. “If you’re taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault? What dumb s*** were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better?
“‘You know that dude who made people people eat animal dicks on TV? How does he feel about medicine?’ If you want my advice, don’t take my advice.”
Rogan also reportedly said that he would not be accepting the offer of $100m from right-wing platform Rumble to move his podcast away from Spotify, saying: “Spotify has hung in with me, inexplicably, let’s see what happens.”
Earlier this week, Rogan also discussed the controversies on his podcast, claiming that the backlash was a “political hit job”.
