Comedian Joe Rogan told an audience in Texas on Tuesday that he will not accept a $100 million offer from video platform Rumble to exclusively host his show.
The company’s CEO this week offered him the contract in a widely shared social media post amid controversy over Rogan’s future at Spotify. Over the past several weeks, Rogan has been the target of an intense online effort to pressure Spotify into removing his podcast over his discussions on COVID-19.
“No, Spotify has hung in with me, inexplicably, let’s see what happens,” Rogan said during the event in Austin, Texas.
Earlier this week, Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski wrote in a letter that “we’d like to offer you 100 million reasons” to come over to Rumble, which is seen as a rising alternative to video platforms such as YouTube or TikTok.
“How about you bring all your shows to Rumble, both old and new, with no censorship, for 100 million bucks over four years?” Pavlovski added. “This is our chance to save the world. And yes, this is totally legit.”
The controversy around Spotify started when singer-songwriter Neil Young demanded that the streaming music service either remove his music or Rogan’s show. Later, a spokesperson for Spotify said it would remove Young’s songs, although the Sweden-based company said it would add warnings about COVID-19 to certain podcasts.
Late last week, a heavily edited and out-of-context video showed Rogan saying the “N-word” several times during podcasts over a period of more than 10 years. Rogan addressed the video a day later and issued an apology but noted the clip was edited and lacked context.
Then on Sunday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced the streaming service would stand by Rogan, who is also a longtime UFC commentator.
“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more. And I want to make one point very clear—I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek said in a statement.
He added: “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.”
Following Rumble’s letter to Rogan, shares of CF Acquisition Corp. VI, which entered a deal with Rumble in December 2021, surged about 39 percent this week on the news.
Spotify has not returned a request for comment.
From The Epoch Times
