Watch Dr. Gupta argue with a vaccine skeptic 5:44
(CNN Spanish) --
Joe Rogan, described on his social networks as a
stand-up
comedian , follower of martial arts and psychedelic adventurer, is one of the most influential and highest paid podcast hosts in the world, and one of the most controversial, especially for his positions on the covid-19 vaccine, which have confronted him not only with the scientific community, but have also generated the rejection of artists.
Rogan's extensive resume, who was a taekwondo champion, goes beyond his famous podcast, since he also has several comedy specials such as "Joe Rogan: Triggered" for Netflix, credits in some films such as "Zookeeper", he was a presenter on NBC's "Fear Factor" and a commentator for the UFC, just to name a few of his projects.
However, it is "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast that has put Rogan in several headlines.
Aaron Rodgers says on a radio show that he is not vaccinated and receives advice on covid-19 from Joe Rogan
The program handles a format of long interviews with various guests such as Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX;
Edward Snodwen, a former CIA contractor who leaked intelligence secrets in 2013, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders himself.
"The Joe Rogan Experience" was Spotify's most popular podcast globally in 2021, according to Variety.
In 2020, the show became a Spotify exclusive when Rogan signed a multi-year exclusive licensing deal with the streaming service, believed to be worth more than $100 million, according to
The Wall Street Journal
. .
But Rogan has become an extremely controversial character after spreading misinformation about vaccines and covid-19.
advertising
Rogan and his position before the pandemic
Watch Dr. Gupta argue with a vaccine skeptic 5:44
Rogan, who is not vaccinated against Covid-19, has previously expressed skepticism that young, healthy people should be vaccinated.
In fact, in April 2021, Rogan told listeners that if a 21-year-old asked him if they should get vaccinated, he would suggest they don't.
"If you're a healthy person and you exercise all the time, you're young and you eat well, I don't think you have to worry about this," Rogan said.
He later clarified his comments, saying that he is "not an
anti-vax person"
and "not a respected source of information, even to me."
In September, the podcast host tested positive for covid-19.
However, when asked if he would have liked to have been vaccinated before testing positive, Rogan said no, noting that he got over the virus "pretty quickly."
A month later, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta sat down for three hours with Rogan to discuss the pandemic, vaccines, potential therapies and the risk coronavirus poses to children and young people. among many other topics.
During the conversation between Gupta and Rogan, whose opinions often clashed, the presenter agreed that certain people who are vulnerable to the virus should be vaccinated against covid-19, particularly obese people or the elderly.
The scientific community against Rogan
Musician Neil Young told Spotify that he no longer wanted his music to appear on the streaming service due to Rogan's frequent false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines.
In early January 2022, a group of more than 250 scientists, doctors, and nurses wrote an open letter to Spotify asking Spotify to warn its listeners about misinformation.
This followed the episode that featured Dr. Robert Malone as a guest who was "criticized for promoting unsubstantiated conspiracy theories," the letter reads.
"By enabling the spread of false and harmful claims to society, Spotify allows its hosted media to undermine public trust in scientific research and cast doubt on the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals," it reads. .
Scientists call Joe Rogan's podcast episode with Jordan Peterson "absurd" and "dangerous"
A month after this letter was published, artist Neil Young, who is an advocate for prevention measures against covid-19, said that he did not want his music to share a home with misinformation about vaccines.
In a now-deleted post on his website, Young called on his managers and record label to remove his music from Spotify because he said the music and
podcast
platform is "spreading false information about vaccines, which could cause death to those who believe in this disinformation spread by them".
(
Rolling Stone
originally reported on the text of the deleted post.)
Spotify will no longer stream Neil Young's music, at the artist's request.
A spokesperson for the technology company told
The Washington Post
in a statement: "We want all of the world's music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. That comes with a huge responsibility in balancing both the security of the listeners as the freedom of the creators".
"We have detailed content policies and have removed over 20,000 Covid-19 related podcast episodes since the start of the pandemic. We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but look forward to welcoming him back soon."
Apple Music got into the debate, which just a day after Spotify agreed to remove Neil Young's music from its service, "trolled" its streaming music rival by treating the musician like a star.
In a tweet sent late Thursday, and subsequently pinned to the top of the official Apple Music Twitter account, Apple called its platform "the home of Neil Young."
Some Apple Music users also reported seeing Young's albums and playlists promoted to the fore in Apple Music's "explore" section with the caption "We Love Neil."
CNN's Dakin Andone and Kerry Flynn contributed to this report.