Joe Rogan Remarks About Jewish People Upset Spotify Execs: Sources
March 15 2023, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Joe Rogan’s remarks about Jews have left the podcast heavyweight on the ropes at Spotify — because the streaming giant’s bigwigs are fed up with the controversial loudmouth, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Last month, on The Joe Rogan Experience, the MMA commentator, 55, ranted to his audience of nearly 13 million: “The idea Jewish people don’t like money is ridiculous. That’s like saying Italians aren’t into pizza. It’s f------ stupid.”
But Anti-Defamation League director Jonathan Greenblatt immediately called out Rogan, saying, “Its disturbing that, at a time of rising anti-Jewish violence, when growing numbers of Americans believe in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, Joe would use his immense platform to spew anti-Semitic tropes about Jews and money.”
Even Joe Rogan Sr. — the blowhard’s estranged dad — ripped his son by saying, “Who are you to judge people?”
Sources dish the clock is winding down on the former Fear Factor emcee’s three-and-a-half-year $200 million Spotify deal — that he signed in 2020. Earlier this year, a rep for Spotify said Rogan's contract did not expire this year and pointed out the deal had options to renew.
The current firestorm is just the latest sparked by the prickly personality.
In 2020, Rogan wrongfully claimed left-wing “activists” caused damaging wildfires in Portland, and the following year, Fallon Fox — the first openly trans-MMA fighter — railed against the occasional comic’s transphobic statements, nearly a decade after Rogan had called her a “f------ man.”
But insiders say blood really started boiling behind the scenes in 2021 after Rogan insisted healthy young Americans didn’t “need to worry about” getting the COVID-19 vaccine, causing Heart of Gold singer Neil Young to convince record companies and artists to pull their music from the platform — which cost the company $2 billion!
According to an industry expert, Spotify is “tired of making apologies for comments they don’t agree with and in some cases are appalled by.”
The source said, “Many execs believe walking away from him would be the best business decision.”
Spotify and Rogan have remained mum on contract talks.