‘SHIFTING SANDS’

Jon Stewart Goes to Bat for Joe Rogan Amid Spotify Uproar

Stewart likened Rogan’s vaccine skepticism to his own opposition to the Iraq war.

Jon Stewart took to his own podcast Friday to defend podcaster Joe Rogan, who has elevated vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 misinformation. Stewart said the norms of what is considered misinformation change with time. He likened Rogan’s vaccine skepticism to his own opposition to the Iraq war. He said, “Couldn’t I have gone down and fallen down this—if Viacom or Comedy Central had wanted to censor me —or had wanted to take me off the— look, I’m not owed a platform. Nobody is… But my point is, these are shifting sands, and I think I get concerned with, well, who gets to decide?”

In an earlier podcast episode, the comedian called the controversy over Rogan’s interviews and remarks an “overreaction” because the podcaster’s remarks and interviews were not “purposeful and hateful.” He said, “My point is, we all exist in this world and on this planet and there’s no question that there is egregious misinformation that’s purposeful and hateful and all those other things, and that being moderated is a credit to the platforms that run them, but this overreaction to Rogan?” By contrast, he called The New York Times “a giant purveyor of misinformation” that had faced “no accountability” for the way its stories contributed to the advent of the Iraq War. Rogan has also come under fire for repeatedly using the N-word and other racial slurs. Spotify has a $100 million exclusive distribution contract with Rogan.