The estranged father of Joe Rogan has claimed 'the money went to his head' after the podcaster sparked controversy with comments that have been described as antisemitic.
Rogan is no stranger to receiving backlash due to various comments and views expressed on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, but he was hit with heavy criticism earlier this month after launching into a discussion about US Representative Ilhan Omar.
Omar, who was recently removed by Republicans from the Foreign Affairs Committee amid accusations that she is antisemitic, tweeted in 2019 that Republicans were critical of her comments about Israel because 'it’s all about the Benjamins, baby', referring to $100 bills.
Omar later apologised, but when discussing her comments Rogan said: “That’s not an antisemitic comment, I don’t think that is. Benjamins are money. The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous. That’s like saying Italians aren’t into pizza. It’s f***ing stupid.”
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Last year, Spotify released guidelines stating that content should be avoided if it 'incites violence or hatred towards a person or group of people based on race, religion...' or makes 'dehumanizing statements about a person or group'.
A source familiar with Spotify told the New York Post that Rogan's comments 'did adhere to the company’s policies', though another insider claimed conversations are now being had at Spotify over whether the guidelines should be amended.
The controversy comes three years after Rogan signed a deal with Spotify to give the platform exclusive rights to the podcast through 2023. The deal is now drawing to an end, though Spotify has not confirmed a date for its conclusion.
When asked for his thoughts on the matter, Rogan’s estranged father, Joe Rogan Sr., addressed his son directly as he commented: “Who are you to judge people? Who made you God last night?”
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In a comment to The New York Post, he continued: “I’m not prejudiced. Everybody has got to live and I teach my kids that. This bothers me. The money went to his head and his head got bigger than his hat — he fools people."
Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Anti-Defamation League, told the Post Rogan's 'anti-Semitic tropes about Jews and money' were 'disturbing', adding: "It’s extremely disappointing that Joe has not even bothered to address the issue, let alone apologize, and Spotify has pretty much ignored the issue entirely.”
In response to the matter, a spokesperson for Spotify commented: "Spotify has made — and will continue to make — significant investments in both human and algorithmic detection measures to help ensure our platform provides a safe experience for all, and we remain committed to rigorously enforcing these platform rules.”