Powered By Pixels
02 February 2022

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson backs Joe Rogan in Spotify podcast controversy

02 February 2022

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has voiced his support for Joe Rogan after he faced a backlash for featuring guests who spread vaccine misinformation via his podcast on Spotify.

Musicians Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren all withdrew their music from the Spotify in protest, saying that they didn’t want to be featured on the same platform as The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which has a multi-million dollar exclusivity deal with the streaming giant.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have their own lucrative deal with Spotify, have also been “expressing concerns” about Covid-19 misinformation, but say that they intend to remain with the streaming giant.

Rogan shared a 10-minute long video on social media yesterday where he addressed the controversy and issued an apology to Spotify.

While defending the “very highly credentialed, highly intelligent, very accomplished” previous podcast guests Dr. Peter McCullough and Dr. Robert Malone — whose takes on the pandemic have proved to be controversial, Rogan vowed that he would make an effort to book guests with diverse opinions in future.

Commenting on his post, former wrestler-turned-actor Johnson, wrote: “Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you.”

Johnson and Rogan have long had a friendly relationship.

Back in March 2020, amid rife speculation that Johnson was planning to run for office, Rogan said that he would back the Jungle Cruise star if he ever made a bid for the White House.

“I’d vote for him,” Rogan said during a conversation on one of his podcast episodes, adding: “I’d get behind him 100 percent. I’m all in for The Rock.”

The best videos delivered daily

Watch the stories that matter, right from your inbox