At the center of a misinformation controversy, American podcast star Joe Rogan apologized on Saturday for racist remarks, while dozens of his episodes were removed by Spotify, according to the New York Times.
The music platform has been under pressure for several days from several world-famous artists who accuse it of having an ineffective moderation policy on misinformation.
"The Joe Rogan experience", the popular and controversial American host's podcast to 11 million listeners, crystallizes these tensions.
It's "awful, even for me"
After a video was posted on the internet compiling his use of the 'Negro' slur on his shows over the past 12 years, Joe Rogan decided to offer a 'humble and heartfelt apology' in a video posted to Instagram.
It's "horrible, even for me," he admitted.
He also said he deleted an episode of his podcast where he compared his presence in a black neighborhood to the movie "Planet of the Apes".
“There is not a single context in which a white person can afford” to utter this insult, he explained.
He assures on Instagram to have "never been racist".
“I can't go back and change what I said… But I really hope this taught a lot of people what an insult that word is, coming from a white man's mouth,” added this figure of anti “political correctness” in the United States.
“I can't go back and change what I said… But I really hope this taught a lot of people what an insult that word is, coming from a white man's mouth,” added this figure of anti “political correctness” in the United States.
70 episodes of “The Joe Rogan experience” deleted
Joe Rogan is targeted by criticism from personalities who consider him dangerous by leaving the field open to disinformation on the Covid-19.
It's been streaming exclusively on Spotify since 2020 for $100 million.
It's one of the most popular podcasts in the United States.
Read alsoThe Spotify music platform accused of disinformation: five minutes to understand the controversy
Folk-rock legend Neil Young called on the streaming platform to remove his music in late January, sparking a wider movement and debate over Spotify's responsibility in the fight against misinformation.
“I am doing this because Spotify is spreading false information about vaccines – potentially causing the death of those who believe the misinformation they are spreading,” the singer wrote.
According to the New York Times on Saturday, Spotify has quietly removed 70 episodes of "The Joe Rogan experience" in recent days.
The streaming giant, based in Sweden, did not respond to requests from AFP.
On Thursday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek defended before his employees the exclusivity agreement concluded with Joe Rogan, according to him crucial for his streaming service, while stressing that he disagreed with the latter on "a lot of things ".