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Joe Rogan has blasted calls to cancel him and his wildly successful podcast a “political hit job” — after clips emerged of him saying the N-word.
In his latest episode of the “Joe Rogan Experience” Tuesday, the under-fire UFC commentator dismissed the “judgmental, unforgiving f—s” helping to drive the campaign to get him booted from Spotify.
“This is a political hit job,” the 54-year-old comedian said more than once during the show.
“They’re taking all this stuff that I’ve ever said that’s wrong and smooshing it all together,” he said, referring to a compilation of years-old out-of-context clips of him saying the N-word.
The host has already apologized, stressing that although the footage “looks f–king horrible” it was compiled without context and he “never used it to be racist.”
“It’s good because it makes me address some s–t that I really wish wasn’t out there,” he told his supportive podcast guest, comedian Akaash Singh.
Later, Rogan again repeated, “Obviously, this is a political hit job but with me.”
But he also knocked those who “like to dig up old things that you said” to “get you in trouble” like it’s “a game.”
“It’s not productive. Like, if you’re spending all your time trying to attack a person versus trying to better yourself, you’re not gonna do as well. You’re wasting time. … That’s why they’re not successful.
“It’s like it’s literally poison for yourself,” he said.
Despite the attacks against him, Rogan insisted that he thinks “all the wokeness is moving in a good direction” in that it’s making clear that “everybody should be treated equally” without discrimination.
He also laughed when he said he was doing “good” despite the hatred aimed his way online.
“If you stay offline, it’s just real life. You just have to stay offline … You just — life goes on, as normal,” he said.
The backlash against Rogan started last month when a group of doctors complained about him “broadcasting misinformation, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Old Man” rocker Neil Young, 76, then tried to force Spotify to ax its most-listened-to podcast, saying, “They can have Neil Young or Rogan. Not Both.”
When Spotify stuck by Rogan a slew of other aging rockers followed, most notably Young’s former bandmates David Crosby, 80, Steven Stills, 77, and Graham Nash, 80, as well as 78-year-old folk singer Joni Mitchell.
“I’m very sorry that they feel that way,” Rogan later said while insisting that he was “not trying to promote misinformation” or “be controversial.”
“I’m a Neil Young fan. I’ve always been a Neil Young fan,” he said.
“If I p—ed you off, I’m sorry,” he told listeners while pledging to from now on “have more experts with differing opinions right after I have the controversial ones.”
He later apologized over the N-word compilation, calling it “the most regretful and shameful thing I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.”
Spotify has stuck by him throughout, with CEO Daniel Ek recently saying that some of Rogan’s words may have been “incredibly hurtful” but “canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
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