Hundreds of scientists have just declared war on Joe Rogan and now Spotify is stuck in the crossfire.
270 professors, scientists, doctors, and health care workers have signed an open letter to the popular podcast distributor this week, calling for the platform to address the constant spread of COVID-19 misinformation by one of its most popular programs, The Joe Rogan Experience.
The letter slammed the show’s homophobic host for “broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.” It further called on Spotify to “take action against mass-misinformation events”, but stopped short of making any recommendations for discipline.
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CNBC further reports that much of the letter focuses on a December 31 broadcast in which Rogan featured Dr. Robert Malone as the guest. Twitter recently banned Malone for spreading misinformation regarding the pandemic. During the broadcast, he told Rogan there had been an “explosion of vaccine-associated deaths,” and insinuated that the pandemic is little more than a cash grab by pharmaceutical companies.
Both The Associated Press and fact-checking outlet PolitiFact immediately identified Malone’s claims as false. YouTube has already removed a video of the podcast, citing its policies against the spread of misinformation.
“Dr. Malone’s interview has reached many tens of millions of listeners vulnerable to predatory medical misinformation,” the letter said. “This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform.”
The letter might actually underestimate the damage. Spotify and Rogan claim The Joe Rogan Experience gets over 200 million downloads per month, suggesting that hundreds of millions of listeners took in Malone’s erroneous remarks.
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In response, the co-signers of the letter have implored Spotify to “immediately establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation on its platform.”
“By allowing the propagation of false and societally harmful assertions, Spotify is enabling its hosted media to damage public trust in scientific research and sow doubt in the credibility of data-driven guidance offered by medical professionals,” they further wrote.
But this isn’t the first time Joe Rogan has come under fire for the spread of misinformation regarding COVID-19.
The shock jock has previously discouraged listeners from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, claiming that COVID actually strengthens the immune system. (It doesn’t.) He also recommended the anti-parasitic ivermectin as an effective treatment against the virus. (It’s not.) His past misinformation has even earned the ire of Dr. Anthony Fauci, prompting Rogan to refer to himself as a “moron” and “not a respected source of information.”
Here’s what folks are saying about the whole thing on Twitter…
If u tell me u like joe rogan no way in hell will i trust anything u say
— Gilly (@gillyb420) January 14, 2022
i think it would be better if joe rogan never spoke again https://t.co/zoH0FadbnK
— lexi (@leesxpii) January 14, 2022
“Journal Club with Joe Rogan” is just like regular journal club, except remarkably stupid and causes excess mortality. But it turns a profit!
— John P. Sarwark (@johnpsarwark) January 14, 2022
The main stream media is just mad that Joe Rogan gets views than their multi million dollar propaganda machine. https://t.co/QUQLeyRNW3
— ???????? (@AutumnWray4) January 14, 2022
It's driven by the fact that thousands of people are DYING and hundreds of thousands getting sick (many of them VERY sick) every fucking day and ignorant people with large platforms like Joe Rogan are contributing to that w/their misinformation, you nitwit.
— Jeff the Russian Bot #EndApartheid #FreePalestine (@leftyvegan) January 14, 2022
Joe Rogan is an expert in absolutely nothing other than maaaaaybe commentating on MMA and how to appeal to incels. https://t.co/46J47Ve0Il
— Zimmy (@ABZimm) January 14, 2022
You mean Captain Insano Joe Rogan? Is he still doing MMA for a living? or standup comedy? Actor? Or rightwing nutjob?
— DeBe (@DavidZ0983wu) January 14, 2022
Joe Rogan is a dumb person’s smart person
— Regular Ben (@bendibuz) January 14, 2022
If you listen to Joe Rogan you should stop and then start questioning where your life went wrong. https://t.co/o1tHJbAMbP
— AnjunaLuna (@AnjunaLuna) January 14, 2022
Joe Rogan went on Penn Jillette's Podcast 15 years ago and tried to convince an astonomer the moon landing was faked. He's a dangerous dealer in active misinformation, not an earnest person looking for truth.
— ? Roger (@IAmRoot) January 14, 2022
Terrycloth
Another Alex Jones
Ronbo
Actually, it was Joe Rogan who suggested that they research the statistics, did the research and apologized for being wrong – in that same show.
Being harshly hateful and rushing to judgment is not a good look for the left or gays.
cliche guevara
Rogan has a history of anti-science and promoting conspiracy theories. He believes the moon landing is a hoax for example. To his credit he does publicly state that his is a moron. The people that listen to him and defend him are also morons but lack the self awareness that Rogan has.
mhughey
So uh a dude who brings the doctor that invented mRNA vaccination technology is some nutty conspiracy theorist. Maybe you should go listen to the interview… instead of believing what your confirmation bias news outlet tells you to believe. Wake up people….. the corporate media is filled with liars
cliche guevara
“ So uh a dude who brings the doctor that invented mRNA vaccination technology”
This is the second time someone has said “mRNA technology” in this thread so clearly that is a talking point that sprung up somewhere despite being a largely nonsensical thread.
mRNA is part of cellular biology and predates human existence. So he most certainly didn’t invent it. He did do research on mRNA in the 80s but his work wasn’t in using mRNA as a therapeutic. His research should you could use lipids to transfer mRNA into a cell. More recently he has baseless claims he invented mRNA vaccines. The credit for laying the foundations for mRNA vaccines goes to Dr. Katalin Karikó and her collaborator Dr. Drew Weissman and is based on the iterative work of hundreds of scientists.
mRNA technology is a meaningless term
Hank31
I wasn’t aware that “shock jocks” do 3-hour interviews on matters of politics, law, culture, and public policy.
SamB
Agreed. And calling him homophobic is a straight up lie.
mastik8
Joe is Cordelia, the critics are Lear and their invective reveals the same.
PQ
Omg Mastik, thank you. That gave me such a laugh that I really needed after a long day. You had to put some thought into that comment. Wow. Just…wow. I imagine you were proud of that comment. Good stuff. I can recommend some great books on interpreting Shakespeare if you’d like. But for real, thank you for writing possibly the dumbest thing I have read on the internet today.
Fname Optional Lname
He is absolutely homophobic and very transphobic. He argues that gay and transgender people were all bullied when we were kids so that explains all the backlash straight people now receive from us?? I guess when we speak up for rights and freedoms it is “backlash”. He says as result of being bullied we now have serious resentment and want to go after people. Hmmm so standing up for equality is going after people.
Sounds a lot like when the phobes say we are “shoving it down their throats” because we have a rainbow or trans flag on display or God forbid we get a rainbow bumper sticker!
He also said that gay people don’t have a lot of love in their life or if they do have love, it’s like, very conditional and it’s very precarious. He actually said “There are a lot of people who are idiots, but then they become trans, and now all of a sudden we think they’re amazing,”.. So like J.K. Rowling he also believes trans people don’t really feel they way they claim- they just do it for an alternative benefit..
SamB
Fname: He can have opinions about people’s behavior and we all do that. If you see his show he likes to discuss, debate and have a dialogue. If a gay guy said “The gay community is fighting back now because we were bullied when we were younger,” you’d be all over it. We have to stop brandishing people as homophobes or transphobes because they have questions or an issue. I know that quote you referenced and he said (paraphrasing) that they were bullied by “@ssholes” so he’s not for bullying. You need to understand context of what people are saying.
Hank31
@SamB lol. Good point. Rogan supports full equality for gay people and always has. He spoke out in favor of marriage equality for years. BTW, he has a good interview with gay competitive Strongman Rob Kearney, which I believe is up on YT. The author clearly knows nothing about Rogan or his show.
Bosch
None of these points justify spreading medical misinformation during a global health crisis.
cliche guevara
Fname –
You seem to misunderstand how this all works. Queer people don’t get a say in what is and isn’t homophobic. That is for straight people to decide and Rogan has clearly said he isn’t homophobia. I’m fact he has is suggesting that he, a straight person, is the victim of homophobia because gay and trans people bully him. And now that he has pronounced himself not homophobic. Gay folks like SamB and Hank fall in line behind their straight betters and dutifully repeat what he says because they know homophobia is not theirs to define and straight person will inform them when it’s an issue.
Seems like something Orwell would have written about.
Hank31
@Fname – You seem to be trying to change the subject from gay to trans. The claim in the post above is that Joe is “homopobic” not “transphobic.” Stick to the topic.
The only thing which you have claimed that is directed at gay people and which could be homophobic is the alleged remark about gay people not having received much love. A google search reveals that this was a comment about “LGBTQ” left-wing “SJWs” who engage in cancel culture, not about all gay people. Joe does not like SJWs for the same reason he dislikes all religious fanatics. Their zealotry is an an affront to him as a comedian and a creator.
As to that small subset of perennially hostile gay SJW radicals, his observation comment is very likely correct. They probably have been starved of love. If you want examples, just read the comments here, where people are regularly called Nxzis, homophobes and where people cheer the deaths of others.
So you took your best shot at backing up the accusation in the post, and even though Rogan has thousands and thousands of hours of broadcasting history over many years , you came up with squat.
cliche guevara
The story literally links to a story about Rogan using homophobic slurs. Damn, you really are that stupid.
Mister P
Now you know.
CatholicXXX
This guy is gross. At least that mason guy is good fapping material.
GlobeTrotter
I’ll never understand why medical practitioners like Dr. Robert Malone who intentionally spread misinformation don’t get their medical licenses suspended or revoked. As a doctor, intentionally misinforming or misleading the public should be right up there with medical malpractice. People like Dr. Malone continue to do what he does, and make money from it, because there are no consequences to their misconduct. The minute the relevant authorities start suspending medical licenses, doctors will be forced to think twice before misleading the public.
jthomasmpls
Didn’t Dr. Malone invent mRNA technology? If so it seems he would be an expert on the subject matter.
What “misinformation” (dumb term by the way) is he spreading?
cliche guevara
mRNA has existed longer that people have. He had nothing to do with it unless you think he is Some sorry if deity that created molecular biology.
Paris in Santiago
Joe Rogan has been VACCINATED. He is lying about his vaxx status. I know, but cannot say how I know, except that it is an entertainment industry thing & doctors receiving cash under the table.
Heywood Jablowme
That doesn’t surprise me at all. All the Fox Noise hosts have been vaccinated too I bet.
aaronarnwine
LOL, queerty wishcasting with pretend journalism. Joe Rogan is not in trouble. Absurd to applaud attempts by some some random doctors to get someone’s show BANNED because they disagree with two doctors he had on his show. Why not instead request to debate those two doctors themselves on his show? bunch of petty tyrants.
Bosch
Having rules about medical misinformation on one’s platform does not make one a tyrant. And how silly to suggest that 270 doctors et al are somehow more random than two conspiracy theorist publicity whore doctors.
Ronbo
PS This information was provided by “The Guardian”. Queerty is not the best place to find actual news and medical information.
Ronbo
@Bosch You may not have actually seen the interview, so cool your jets.
You should know that in the same interview where Rogan first claimed that the covid vaccine created more cardiomyopathy in boys than actual covid, it was Rogan who suggested (in that show) that they research the issue. They did and Rogan apologized for his error – in that same show.
Half-truths are usually full-blown lies. I trust people who research and actually apologize when they are wrong.
At the same time, the origin of the virus is related to the gain-of-function research paid for by the US Government. Most people don’t know that this is important because the company making money off the research, EcoHealth Alliance, is the primary organization DEMANDING that the origin was in nature. Sequential DNA studies point directly to gain-of-function research and the original drafts of research have been edited to reflect EcoHealth Alliance’s position.
8 minutes ago
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Ronbo
PS This information was provided by “The Guardian”. Queerty, a gossip site, is not the best place to find actual news and medical information.
BoomerMyles
Not true. When Rogan was presented the evidence he denounced the authenticity of the source.
Ronbo
@Bosch You may not have actually seen the interview, so cool your jets.
You should know that in the same interview where Rogan first claimed that the covid vaccine created more cardiomyopathy in boys than actual covid, it was Rogan who suggested (in that show) that they research the issue. They did and Rogan apologized for his error – in that same show.
Half-truths are usually full-blown lies. I trust people who research and actually apologize when they are wrong.
At the same time, the origin of the virus is related to the gain-of-function research paid for by the US Government. Most people don’t know that this is important because the company making money off the research, EcoHealth Alliance, is the primary organization DEMANDING that the origin was in nature. Sequential DNA studies point directly to gain-of-function research and the original drafts of research have been edited to reflect EcoHealth Alliance’s position.
sawtellekev
The only thing Joe need ever do is star as the designated cum-dump in prison porn.
OffAxis
Hey dumbass article writer,
He’s far from homophobic. Know your sht, before spouting off. You yourself are part of the gay’s problems. Talk about spreading misinformation. FO.
Mack
I see our right wing troll is here and even supporting his own comments by using his other name to respond. ROFLMAO.
BoomerMyles
Hard to believe this idiot is worth $100m.
The guy should be permanently cancelled but he makes too much money for Spotify. They won’t do crap.
Jamits
I’d believe Joe Rogan any day over any health care providers who have all shown a very greedy disposition to them when it comes to getting paid more than the American people can afford to pay the doctors who’s pay is increased by government mandates so that they will do unspeakable things for the government [such as genocide and other illegal, harmful and completely unethical medical experiments that are completely unethical and even abusive towards children. I am a first hand witness to many doctors doing this sort of thing and lying through their teeth whenever their lips are moving! I am 52 years old and have more than 35 years worth of looking into what the doctors are doing within this country!
But Joe Rogan on the other hand has always been a very stand up and honest kind of guy! A family man who is well intended and a very solid human being who would never intentionally mislead anyone on the facts!!!
Heywood Jablowme
Very clever. You snuck out of the patient wing of the mental hospital to the unattended office where the internet is, on a Saturday night. They’ll never suspect!
bambamboom777
I’m so sick and tired of these “influencers” acting like they’re qualified to give opinions about subjects they’re not educated in. The arrogance of people like Rogan is sickening. He even lacks the basic critical thinking skills to have an informed opinion on anything. I wouldn’t care if people like him were sitting around at a bar running their mouths about stuff they don’t understand, but these people are spreading absolute dangerous lies to millions of people. And yes, there really are people stupid enough to buy into their disinformation. It is a major problem that’s affecting the entire world.
cynicalsteve
Joe Rogan is a dick. Intelligent, I know… but it’s true.