- Neil Young and Joni Mitchell took their music off of Spotify due to Joe Rogan's comments
- Dwayne Johnson showed support for Rogan and said he'd love to be on the podcast
- New clips came out of Rogan using a racial slur, Johnson pulls back on support
Joe Rogan just can't catch a break! The ex-UFC Fighter first got in some hot water following comments he made during a podcast that talked about the efficacy of vaccines and mentioned that healthy and young people didn't need to get one.
Since then, Rogan has apologized, noting that he's just a person who makes mistakes, and that for every controversial guest, he tries to make sure to add lead scientists, and that it's important to him to hear all sides. Dwayne Johnson said he'd love to be a guest, and that he appreciates his stance on the issue. That is until more clips came out.
Dwayne Johnson is rethinking his stance
In response to the Joe Rogan controversy, Spotify declared that they would put a disclaimer on any and all podcasts that include COVID-19 information, to help combat misinformation. Rogan said he fully supported that idea and welcomes any opportunity to learn more.
Rogan also posted an apology video, noting that he tries to keep it balanced on his podcast, but that in his failure to do so, he will try harder in the future. Dwayne Johnson commented on the video, seemingly showing his full support of the ex-Fear Factor host.
He wrote, "Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you."
However, just a few days later, it seemed Johnson completely rethought his whole stance, when another clip of Rogan's podcast came out with Rogan using the N-word.
While he wasn't using the word directed at a person, there were about 12 different clips of him using it when referencing issues, or stories he heard.
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Rogan made a statement on Instagram that read his comments and use of the word is "the most regretful and shameful thing I've ever had to talk about publicly."
"I know that to most people there is no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word, never mind publicly on a podcast. And I agree with that now. I haven't said it in years," he continued.
However, that wasn't enough for Johnson. He tweeted that he takes back his comments, and won't join Rogan on his podcast after all.
Rogan did acknowledge that he used the word, but only when in relation to talking about comedians using the word during their set, or in movies, specifically noting how Quentin Tarantino used the N-word repeatedly in Pulp Fiction.
"Instead of 'saying the N-word,' I would just say the word. I thought as long as it was in context people would understand what I was doing," he said. "It's not my word to use."
"I never used it to be racist, because I'm not racist," he added. "But whenever you're in a situation where you have to say, 'I'm not racist,' you've f**d up, and I clearly have f**d up."
He concluded his statement, "It makes me sick watching that video, but hopefully, at least some of you will accept this and understand where I'm coming from."
Johnson has yet to respond.
