Spotify CEO admits Joe Rogan is “offensive” but won’t drop JRE Podcast

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has admitted that there is some “very offensive” material in Joe Rogan’s podcast that he doesn’t agree with, but the show doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon.  

The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast has been in production since the end of 2009, and it has grown to be arguably the biggest podcast in the world.

As a result of that, the UFC commentator and his team signed a $100 million deal to sell the podcast’s exclusive rights to Spotify. Though, the move hasn’t been all plain sailing.

While Spotify has stated that they wouldn’t interfere with or censor any shows, fans have complained about a number of backlogged episodes not appearing on the streaming service. With Rogan coming under fire in recent months for some controversial takes on the global health pandemic, so too has Spotify.

The streaming service has been under pressure from many to do something about Rogan’s show – with some complaints suggesting they should not only censor it, but rid themselves of the show altogether.

• Read More: The Rock teases Joe Rogan Experience episode in the near future

That, though, doesn’t seem to be the answer. According to The Verge, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek admitted to some employees that he does take issue with part of the shows, but change doesn’t appear to be forthcoming.

“There are many things that Joe Rogan says that I strongly disagree with and find very offensive,” the Swede said during an employee town hall. However, if Spotify wants to achieve its “bold ambitions,” Ek noted that “it will mean having content on Spotify that many of us may not be proud to be associated with.”

According to Ek, this doesn’t mean that “anything goes,” but “there will be opinions, ideas, and beliefs that we disagree with strongly and even makes us angry or sad.”

The platform has already made one change to things, as they’ll now be putting disclaimers on some Rogan shows. However, it remains to be seen if there will be bigger changes.