Joe Rogan, who ended up in the hot seat for controversial episodes of his Spotify podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, admitted the uproar has benefited his show.
On Friday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the commenter claimed his subscriber base has grown rapidly over the past few months, despite the many controversies surrounding him.
From being condemned for his past use of the N-word to being accused of spreading COVID-19 misinformation, despite the burning public concerns, the presenter had this to say about his booming audience: “It’s interesting, my subscriptions are massive gone up – that’s crazy.”
Joe Rogan during the UFC 273 event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 09, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)James Gilbert via Getty Images
“At the height of it all, I gained two million subscribers,” added Rogan, 54.
Though Spotify doesn’t release specific information about the number of its subscribers, sources said its listenership has never dropped despite the troubles, according to .
Rogan continued to get the “media” into overdrive for their coverage of the scandals, particularly against CNN.
“Yes, [the media] went for it. It’s also fortunate that the people who chose to do this were CNN,” Rogan said. “They are so untrustworthy and people know how biased they are and how socially odd their anchors are.”
The Spotify host has also attacked CNN’s struggling streaming service CNN+, which was pulled the plug just weeks after it launched.
“They spent $300 million and got 10,000 subscribers,” said the former Fear Factor host.
Rogan previously addressed the rumors about whether Spotify would continue to support him despite the controversy at a stand-up gig in February.
“Spotify inexplicably stuck with me,” he said at the time. “Lets see what happens.”
The leading music streaming service hasn’t canceled Rogan, despite removing over 70 episodes from the platform over inflammatory language and adding COVID notices to his episodes.
In an internal company letter released in February discussing the ordeal, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote, “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they’re crossed.”
“But erasing voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it is critical thinking and open debate that drives real and needed progress,” he continued.