Joe Rogan's Dad Tells All: Podcaster's Father Who He Claims 'Beat' His Mother Alleges Money Went To Son's Head
Feb. 24 2023, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Comedian Joe Rogan was slammed by his father, Joe Rogan Sr., over controversial remarks he made on his hit podcast. The father's ridicule came as the UFC commentator's Spotify contract was set to expire in 2023 — and had no clear plan to renew with the music streaming giant, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Rogan, 55, has been no stranger to criticism, especially towards controversial takes shared on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
While his listeners may find the outspoken personality and his guests edgy, Rogan's estranged father and Spotify staff viewed his use of the platform in a far different, more concerning light.
In older episodes of his podcast, the 58-year-old was criticized for the use of the N-word, as well as comments against the transgender community. More recently, the mixed martial arts fanatic was condemned for suggesting that healthy young people didn't "need to worry about" getting the COVID-19 vaccination.
Rogan's schtick has evolved into debating heavily-divided topics, were he often takes a devil's advocate point of view — and thanks to higher ups at Spotify, he has largely escaped consequence from the streaming platform.
That could soon change, though, as Max Cutler, Rogan's Spotify advocate, announced his departure from the company.
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Without Cutler at the platform to defend Rogan, his future with the platform remained unclear.
It was rumored that Rogan's $200 million deal, signed in 2020, was set to expire in 2023. While the platform would not confirm its expiration date, Spotify claimed it was not this year.
In early February, amid a discussion about US Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rogan was accused of making antisemitic comments, which ruffled feathers among Spotify staff and his own family.
"The idea that Jewish people don't like money is ridiculous," Rogan said at the time. "That's like saying Italians aren't into pizza. It's f------ stupid."
Following the remarks, concerns about the comedian's use of the platform and the cultural impact of his words were raised.
Jonathan Greenbelt, the director of the anti-defamation league, issued a statement on Rogan's comments to the The Post.
"It’s disturbing that, at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when growing numbers of Americans believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories, Joe would use his immense platform to spew ant-Semitic tropes about Jews and money," Greenbelt said.
The anti-defamation league director wasn't the only one who took offense to Rogan's commentary.
The comedian's estranged father also chimed in and condemned his son for allegedly promoting antisemitic tropes.
"Who are you to judge people? Who made you God last night?" Rogan Sr. said of his son.
"I’m not prejudiced. Everybody has got to live and I teach my kids that," the estranged father continued. "This bothers me. The money went to his head and his head got bigger than his hat — he fools people."
Spotify claimed that Rogan did not violate any guidelines in the episode, which remained on the site.