A Political Hit Job

Joe Rogan has found himself in that rare spot of “you love him or you hate him” after recent controversies.

Old clips of Rogan using the “N-word” on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast resurfaced therefore leading to an apology from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) commentator as well as Spotify CEO Daniel Ek. Rogan would remove 70 past episodes from the show’s library in an effort to right his wrongs.

Rogan commented on the aftermath of everything during his latest episode.

“In a lot of ways, this is a relief,” Rogan said (h/t The Hollywood Reporter). “That video had always been out there. This is a political hit job. They’re taking all this stuff I’ve ever said that’s wrong and smushing it all together. It’s good because it makes me address some stuff that I really wish wasn’t out there.

“You should apologize if you regret something. I do think you have to be careful not to apologize for nonsense. Over time, people will understand you. They know you. If you misstep, they know what you’re trying to do — you’re not a vicious person, you’re just trying to be funny.”

Rogan, 54, is perhaps most popularly known for his career as a stand-up comedian. This week he returned to the stage for a show in Austin, Texas where he addressed these latest issues revolving around him.

“I used to say it if [I was talking about] a Richard Pryor bit or something, I would say it in context,” Rogan said on stage of the ‘N-word.’ “Somebody made a compilation of every time I said that word over 14 years and they put it on YouTube, and it turned out that was racist as f—k. Even to me! 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?!’

“I haven’t used that word in years. But it’s kind of weird people will get really mad if you use that word and tweet about it on a phone that’s made by slaves.”

Those last comments led into a bit about the labor conditions in overseas cellphone factories.

Controversy surrounding Rogan and his podcast originally arose from conversations and comments about COVID-19 and the vaccine. With numerous scientists denouncing Rogan’s “misinformation,” musical artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell would add on by stating they’d remove their libraries from Spotify if Rogan wasn’t removed.

“I talk s—t for a living — that’s why this is so baffling to me,” Rogan said. “If you’re taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault? What dumb s—t were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better? ‘You know that dude who made people eat animal dicks on TV? How does he feel about medicine?’ If you want my advice, don’t take my advice.”