TheQuartering [2/21/2022]
The Joe Rogan Experience, at the center of a fierce controversy over censorship and misinformation, briefly disappeared from Spotify on Monday for unexplained reasons—the second time in days that the show has mysteriously vanished.
For a short period on February 21, Spotify users were unable to access the show from the streaming platform’s website, iPhone app and Android app.
The show now appears to be available again and it is not clear why it vanished. But the disappearance is certainly noteworthy given the controversy around the podcast and its host—under fire over COVID-19 misinformation and use of racial slurs—and the removal of dozens of episodes.
Newsweek has reached out to Spotify for comment but received no response by the time of publication.
The Joe Rogan Experience is exclusively available on Spotify, with Rogan famously signing a reported $200 million deal.
Earlier this month, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek confirmed that Joe Rogan himself had removed 113 of his past episodes from the platform over his use of racially insensitive language in old installments as well as episodes with controversial guests that were removed in 2021.
Spotify has maintained support for the flagship show despite intense criticism.