Despite the controversy surrounding Joe Rogan and his podcast, thousands of people are coming to his defense.
Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” has had more than 100 episodes pulled from Spotify.
Though he is in the spotlight for his recent COVID-19 controversy, most of the episodes that have been yanked are older recordings.
Many people have removed their work from Spotify, claiming Rogan spreads COVID-19 misinformation, including Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, singer India Arie, Mary Trump, and writer Brene Brown.
Thousands from different backgrounds have showed their support for Rogan on Twitter.
Edward Snowden, president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, tweeted, “Nobody has stronger opinions about Joe Rogan than people who have never listened to Joe Rogan”.
On Saturday, Ben Shapiro said, “Nobody targeting Joe Rogan right now gives two damns about anything he’s said in the past. This is all just an opportunity for activists to destroy a guy who doesn’t carry water for those with institutional power, and whose audience dwarfs their own. It is that simple”.
Comedian Tim Dillon, who as appeared on Rogan’s podcast, expressed his support for him by sharing multiple tweets.
Andrew Schulz, another comedian, tweeted, “Rogan has made a lot of people millionaires. Imagine being one of those people and staying silent right now? Cause this will blow over in a month but that silence will never be forgotten”.
Others who have shown support include Candace Owens, Sean Parnell, Tim Young, Dan Crenshaw, and Donald Trump Jr.
Journalist and author Andy Ngô has also voiced his opinion. “After I was beaten by antifa & hospitalized for a brain bleed in 2019, @joerogan offered to give me a voice even though I was unknown. The pile on against him now is because he’s willing to speak with those overlooked by the establishment. Thank you, Joe,” he said.
Yeonmi Park, a North Korean human rights activist, tweeted “One reason not to censor @joerogan is because he gives a voice to those who are repeatedly shunned by the mainstream media. He is a defender of free speech and WE NEED HIM more than ever!!”
The hashtag “IStandWithJoeRogan” has recently started trending on Twitter.