Dwayne Johnson has shown solidarity with Joe Rogan after the podcast host faced allegations of spreading misinformation about coronavirus.
The Joe Rogan Experience podcast has recently come under fire for allegedly spreading misinformation about coronavirus on Spotify, leading to musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to take a stand and request their music be removed from the streaming platform.
Rogan has since taken Instagram to address the controversy, and who should stand up in support of the host but Red Notice star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
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In response to the backlash Spotify has faced for continuing to allow his podcast – which was number one worldwide in 2021 – to remain on its platform, Rogan posted a 10-minute video in which he promised to 'do [his] best in the future to balance things out'.
The host addressed two specific episodes, which saw Dr. Peter McCullough and Dr. Robert Malone make controversial comments about the coronavirus vaccines. However, he said the pair are both 'very highly credentialed, highly intelligent, very accomplished people'.
He said: 'I'm just a person who sits down with people and has conversations with them. Have I got things wrong before? Absolutely, but I try to correct things if I have done, because I am interested in telling the truth and finding out what it is. I am interested in having interesting conversations with people who have differing opinions. I am not interested in only talking to people that have one perspective.'
The Rock took to the comments in support of Rogan, saying, 'Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you.'
Other celebrities also rushed to the host's defence. Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard commented: 'Just keep being you.'
Chef Michael Hunter noted: 'Keep on doing what you do! Very big of you to respond with such humility.'
Seven-time Mr Olympia Phil Heath said: 'Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and efforts moving forward. I truly believe you're an asset to use as this era in time needs a voice from someone genuine and intellectually curious about the various topics surrounding our society. What a time to be alive. Keep killin it!'
Alongside Young and Mitchell requesting to have their music removed from Spotify, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have also spoken out against the streaming service for continuing to host Rogan's podcast.
The royals have reportedly pressed Spotify to 'ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis', and concluded that they will continue to 'look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does'.
In response to Young's stance on the situation, Spotify stated: 'We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.'
The platform said it hoped to 'welcome [the musician] back soon'.
If you’ve been affected by coronavirus and want up to date advice, visit the Gov.uk help page here. If you need medical help call NHS 111 or visit online
Topics: Dwayne Johnson, Instagram, Joe Rogan, Spotify
Poppy Bilderbeck