Joe Rogan returned to the stand-up stage Tuesday night and joked about both of his recent controversies, including addressing the anti-vaccine issue by joking that when it comes to medical advisement, “if you want my advice, don’t take my advice.”
“I talk shit for a living — that’s why this is so baffling to me,” Rogan said on stage in Austin, Texas, according to THR. “If you’re taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault? What dumb s— were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better? ‘You know that dude who made people people eat animal dicks on TV? How does he feel about medicine?’ If you want my advice, don’t take my advice.”
The anti-vax controversy has culminated in several artists, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, pulling their music from Spotify in order to put pressure on the platform to stop spreading vaccine misinformation amid the pandemic. The company has stood by Rogan, but has added content warnings to the podcast.
During his stand-up set, Rogan also commented on his use of the N-word on his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has prompted Spotify to take down numerous old episodes of his show. Rogan said “I haven’t used that word in years” and pivoted into a routine about labor conditions when it comes to assembling cell phones in factories overseas.
He further explained that he only ever used the n-word “in context,” such as if he was referencing a Richard Pryor routine. And when he saw a video compilation of all the instances using the n-word across the last 14 years, even he was shocked.
“It turned out that was racist as f—. Even to me,” Rogan said. “I’m me and I’m watching it saying, ‘Stop saying it!’ I put my cursor over the video and I’m like, ‘Four more minutes?’”
THR notes that during a Q&A session with the audience, Rogan also addressed an offer from a right wing platform Rumble that offered to pay him $100 million in order to leave Spotify and bring over “The Joe Rogan Experience,” but he said he’s likely staying put.
“No, Spotify has hung in with me, inexplicably, let’s see what happens,” he said.
Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek apologized to the music streaming service’s staff on Sunday for the continued controversy over Rogan, condemning his use of the n-word in past episodes. Ek, though, reaffirmed his commitment to keep “The Joe Rogan Experience” on the platform.