Embattled podcast host Joe Rogan lost one high profile defender over the weekend, but he gained another.
Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. “The Rock”) previously defended his longtime friend Rogan following his apology two weeks ago for his continued spread of COVID-19 disinformation and hosting of conspiracy theorists on his show.
“Great stuff here brother,” Johnson wrote in response to Rogan’s Instagram post. “Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you.”
Now, Johnson has rethought his stance.
After singer India Arie posted a lengthy video montage to Instagram of Joe Rogan saying the “n-word” and comparing black people to apes and author Don Winslow tweeted at Johnson to address Rogan’s use of racially charged language, the Jungle Cruise star appears to have had an epiphany.
“Thank you so much for this,” he wrote. “I hear you as well as everyone here 100%. I was not aware of his N word use prior to my comments, but now I’ve become educated to his complete narrative. Learning moment for me.”
Dear @donwinslow
Thank you so much for this
I hear you as well as everyone here 100%
I was not aware of his N word use prior to my comments, but now I've become educated to his complete narrative.
Learning moment for me.Mahalo, brother and have a great & productive weekend.
DJ https://t.co/3mBf85wRoe— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 5, 2022
At the same time Johnson dropped his support for Rogan, Fox News assembled a panel to defending him, calling in Gays for Trump figure Rob Smith and transgender Olympic medalist Caitlyn Jenner.
Jenner, in particular, voiced strong support for the embattled podcast host, even as it looked like she kept nodding off to sleep during the segment.
“I support Joe Rogan,” she said, teetering back and forth in her chair. “I like his show. He speaks his own mind. This used to be a free-speech country before we got into cancel culture.”
Jenner went 0n to deride singers leaving Spotify over its continued support of Rogan, including Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Graham Nash, and India Arie, by calling them “leftovers from the ’60s generation.”
We’re guessing she isn’t familiar with Arie, who was born in 1975, and is therefore not part of the ’60s generation.
But she didn’t stop there.
Afterwards, Jenner took to Twitter to blast Johnson’s reassessment of Rogan, calling out the actor for transphobic comments he made in 2011.
“Hmmmm… the double standard is real,” Jenner wrote. “@TheRock I love you but cmon dude…let’s be real. Cancel culture has got to go. Use your platform.”
Hmmmm… the double standard is real. @TheRock I love you but cmon dude…let’s be real. Cancel culture has got to go. Use your platform. @DonaldJTrumpJr thanks for highlighting
— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) February 6, 2022
Conveniently, Jenner made no mention of Rogan’s past transphobic comments, which were made a lot more recently than 2011, or his continued hosting of anti-LGBTQ activists, like alt-right hero Jordan Peterson, who just appeared on his show just last week.
The debate over Rogan’s comments continues as Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek denounced him over the weekend while simultaneously vowing to keep his podcast on the platform.
In a letter to employees obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Ek wrote: “I want to make one point very clear — I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
Watch Jenner defend Rogan on Fox News below. Or don’t.
James Hart
Joe Rogan. Dwayne Johnson, Caitlyn Jenner have all said stupid stuff both in the past and recently. They all should apologize and we all should move on.
Mister P
Irresponsible public health statements are not just “stupid stuff.” They are dangerous statements.
He has a responsibility to provide facts and not opinion then cry free speech.
LumpyPillows
He has no responsibility to do anything. He’s an entertainer, not a public health official.
dbmcvey
No, LuckyPillows, people are taking medical advice from him. That goes beyond entertainment to having a responsibility not to spread dangerous misinformation.
nunya
dbmcvey, where is your evidence that people are taking medical advice from Joe Rogan?
jcool
nunya
aaron rodgers admitted that he did, while lying to his team and insinuating he was vaccinated
SamB
This is just so dumb. I can guarantee you that everyone has done something in their past that would outrage someone now. It’s a witch hunt now.
Cam
Maybe everybody YOU know passes out dangerous medical misinformation and runs around screaming the N word. You should probably look into that.
Den
It may seem a witch hunt to the simple minded (and you possibly fit that category if past posts are any indication). But in fact Rogan is discouraging people (the simple, like you) from following simple public health measures that are shown empirically to work in preventing/reducing serious illness and death in favor of questionable remedies with no empirical support. References to his racist, transphobic and questionable past statements are simply indicative of what a sketchy low integrity person he is.
SamB
Den: Are you the guy that gets his health information from an app?
LumpyPillows
LumpyPillows
There is a reason there is no link in the article for India’s compilation. It took me awhile to find it. I prefer to listen and read the source material before commenting, unlike so many. Joe and his pod cast people where talking about the word and dared say it. They were not using it in a derogatory fashion. I mean, we can’t actually even spell the word or say it. Its like we’re 6 years old. The n-word. Sheesh. No. Intent matters. Its a slur and should not be used, but its just a slur like so many others. Cancel culture sucks. Free Whoopi!
P.S. Whoppi, was right. The Holocaust included LGBT and disabled people, so it was not just racial cleansing. It actually was about man’s inhumanity against man.
And no, I will not read or respond to your hateful personal attacks, which actually say so much more about you. I also know you did bother to listen to what Joe said.
SamB
Lumpy: The N@zis believed in a racial classification theory and did indeed believe those they persecuted were a different race. Aryans were of course the superior race, Slavs, Jews, Gypsies were classified as being “subhuman”. It’s not race as many, or Whoopie, understand it now but this was the belief back then, so yes, the Holocaust was about race. Wikipedia actually has a well written article on N@zi racial theory.
Cam
Translation: Your claim is that in over 100 shows Joe was having the same intellectual discussion about the use of the N word. Hmmm, funny because not only was the clip easy to find, but it was also easy to find the information that in part of the clip Rogan compares being around Black people to being in “Planet of the Apes”.
So the fact you lied about the clip being hard to find, AND tried to pretend that every clip was an intellectual philosophical discussion and erasing things like the Planet of the Apes comment exposes you pretty clearly as a troll. If THAT didn’t do it, having one of the well known troll screenames come in to defend it’s own comment as it always does pretty much tells me all I need to know about your comment.
Polaro
Sam, gay is not a race. Disabled is not a race.
Polaro
Cam, translation, you didn’t listen to the podcast in question, as he predicted.
James Hart
LumpyPillows”:
YOU are an anti-Semite.
SamB
Polaro: I didn’t say gays and disabled people are a “race” and i don’t think H!tler did either. He had his race theories and then just added other problematic people to his master plan. Just because he added these groups of people doesn’t mean that his hatred was not race related. It started as a cleansing of “races” (as he labeled them) and then he included others the thought were problematic.
I think the point her is that Whoopie distinguished race between color only but back then there were many many other distinguishing factors. She’s not right. I like her, but in this instance she is dead wrong.
white-queer-african
All the above comments serms to come from person? All right-wing nut jobs. SammyBbbb, LumpyPillows WTFE, MisterP, is that pr*ick of note?
Bruce Jenner, old crow with a di*k is so yesterday!
Polaro
Or several people disagree with you as opposed to someone trying to pretend to be 6 people. Kind of crazy.
Cam
@Polaro
Sweetie, if you’re going to steal Polaro’s screename, try not to do it on an actual where the ACTUAL @Polaro commented above disagreeing with you.
I know Russia is broke, but please, I’m BEGGING you, ask your manager at the troll farm to spend the money and hire smarter trolls.
white-queer-african
One, one person.
Cam
Rogan pushed out dangerous medical lies. Spotify lost business.
Tapes surface of Rogan comparing Black people to apes and using the N word. Spotify loses business.
And the right wing has the same reaction, screams that apparently people have no right to complain about either because Rogan has free speech but the rest of the country doesn’t.
tomamundo
Cam, glad you are here. One voice of reason.
Cam
@tomamundo
Most if not all of the crazy posts on this site are from one account with multiple screenames. It just stole Polaro’s screename it looks like, and it tried to steal mine a few months back but Queerty pulled it.
Heywood Jablowme
“Most if not all of the crazy posts on this site are from one account with multiple screenames.”
So you must be in favor of Queerty checking IP addresses and banning anyone doing that? Oh right, for some reason you’re never in favor of THAT. 🙂
Cam
@Heywood Jablowme
Sweetie, you’ve made that same comment under multiple screenames.
But the adorable thing is, nobody has ever posted anything about that topic calling for an opinion or a vote, but I love that you tried to invent a phony situation to try to deflect attention from the fact that you have multiple screenames and defend right wing anti-LGBTQ bigots.
Now back to the topic, which was Fox News bringing on two white people to defend Joe Rogan’s use of the N word and calling Black people “Apes”. Funny how you keep trying to dodge that part of this.
Heywood Jablowme
@Cam:: It’s a simple question. Are you in favor of having Queerty check IP addresses and BAN anyone using multiple screen names? Considering your extreme obsession with the problem, anyone might guess that your answer would naturally be a resounding yes.
Instead, every single time, you change the subject!
(As for Rogan, until two weeks ago I’d never even heard of him; I made an anti-Jenner comment below.)
I’m 100% sure I’M not using other screen names, but obviously YOU have something to hide.
Cam
Sweetie, I could care less what Queerty does about IPs. But just like Trump, you seem to bring up topics that scare you, so it sounds like you are terrified that your 15 screenames would be easily exposed by that.
But again, it’s adorable you’ll try to bring up ANY topic to deflect from the fact that racist Joe Rogan is getting into trouble and Spotify is struggling to keep him.
You tried the same deflection tactic under one of your other screenames to stop people from talking about what a criminal Ivanka Trump is, over on that thread.
As always, your trolling is sad and weak.
Heywood Jablowme
“Sweetie, I could care less what Queerty does about IPs.”
Why not? You have no way to prove that any of your (supposed) adversaries are using multiple screen names. Wouldn’t you like to PROVE it? Wouldn’t you like to stop their misinformation?
Cam
@Heywood Jablowme
1. I notice your desperation to keep deflecting from Rogan pushing out dangerous health misinformation and racism.
2. By “I don’t care” that means, they can do whatever they want.
See, precious, I’ve already proven you are one troll with multiple screenames, but I’m happy if Queerty wants to investigate. Although, by you lying and claiming we’ve had some big discussion about it, it sounds like you’re giddy because you just decided to borrow a laptop and head to a Starbucks or your neighbors house to disguise the IP of this one screename. LOL
Here’s a thought, if you want to really hide that you’re one troll with multiple accounts, stop coming onto an LGBTQ site and defending bigots who seek to harm the community.
Heywood Jablowme
How have you “proved” that I or anyone else is using multiple screen names?
Where am I “defending” Rogan? I’m not.
How have you “proved” that YOU are not using multiple screen names?
Cam
Lastly,
Interesting that in the name of “Diversity” FOX News brought on two white people to talk about Rogan’s use of the N word.
Typical FOX.
thisisnotreal
Normally 95% of your comments on this site are you calling everyone like me who says things you don’t like “republican troll accounts”. I think this may be the first comment you’ve ever made that I actually agreed with and didn’t get irritated by. Kudos to you mr “I see republican people everywhere”. I’ll enjoy these few moments of quiet and the intelligence of your comment (for once) before I go back to being called a republican troll account by you in the future.
Cam
@thisisnotreal
Sweetie, you’ve tried this same tactic under your other screename “Openminded” just a few days ago. You take a benign comment of mine, pretend you’re ok with it, then spend the rest of the comment trying to attack me for pointing out when you’re trolling.
I LOVE that it doesn’t matter what you’re trying to do, your rage and obsession with me for pointing out your trolling still shines through.
Now go back to the basement of the Siberian troll farm and use the 4 kopeks they paid you today to buy some tea and a cold bowl of kasha.
Mister P
Please don’t limp me in with them.
M K
Speaking of someone from a previous era…. Caitlyn (Bruce) is exactly that… he’s done nothing of his own in decades… if it wasn’t for the family he married into who caught some spotlight and he was able to tag along the coattails, he would be a forgotten has been long ago.
jerjn
And her opinion matters because…
Anyone? Anyone have a guess?
humble charlie
Caitlyn’s support was the kiss of death.
KyleMichelSullivan
Never had Spotify but was thinking about it. Now? Never will. Not interested in being ganged in with people who think it’s their right to say anything they damn well want.
thisisnotreal
At the risk of Cam And his Camsters rushing to attack me, I hate to say it but free speech IS actually a protected right in the USA, but freedom of speech does NOT mean freedom from consequences and that’s exactly what joe is now facing. He’s free to think and believe and say whatever he wants and no one can stop him, but they CAN make it harder for him to spread things that are deemed harmful to the general public, which is what they are doing.
Cam
@thisisnotreal
Since your attempt to make your (@openminded) screename seem like the reasonable one backfired, I love that you keep trying the same tactic with different screenames.
But as always, your obsession with me is right there. Glad I live rent free in your head, but could you please change the signs in the building from Russian to English?
Trawles
I guess they’re okay with his racial slurs since they didn’t bring that up.
Lancealot
Caitlyn Jenner looked like she needed a seatbelt to keep from falling out of her chair. “Buckle Up, Buckaroo”.
IanHunter
That is the most perfect response anyone could give about this. You won the internet today!!!
Doug
LOL, she looked that way to me too. At first I thought she was falling asleep, then I wondered if she’d had a drink or two before the broadcast.
IanHunter
Caitllyn Jenner is a dinosaur. You can’t say she didn’t listen to that genre of music. She will say or do anything to get a few minutes of attention. I wish she would go away.
Heywood Jablowme
Lol, well as a somewhat younger dinosaur I can easily guess what *exciting* music Jenner was listening to when getting ready for the 1976 Olympics: the Captain & Tennille, Seals & Crofts, Donnie & Marie Osmond, Tony Orlando & Dawn, “Feelings,” “Afternoon Delight,” “Seasons In The Sun” (uck!), “Convoy,” “Disco Duck,” etc. Just a guess, of course, but I bet someone could find some magazine citations to prove it!
Are you Ian Hunter from Mott the Hoople?
inbama
@Heywood Jablowme
We shouldn’t put down Captain & Tennille.
After all, they made “Muskrat Love” 44 years before LGBWTIA+ embraced the Furby Gender.
cuteguy
Anytime you have Caitlyn Jenner on your side, you know you’re on the wrong side of the argument. If cancel culture did exist, why hasn’t Caitlyn been cancelled?
Jim
Spotify didn’t take down Rogan’s podcast where he used the N word until after it became public knowledge.
It tells you what the owner of Spotify is.
CNY1983
I can’t imagine sitting in front of a screen and listening to anything those asswipers had to say. Who cares what jenner has to say? She looks like she just got off the operating table and is still reeling from the anesthesia. Only fox would ask that douchebag for her opinion since shes bought and sold so easily. YICK to all of them.