Dwayne Johnson appears to have backtracked on his previous support for Joe Rogan after clips of his use of the N-word resurface online.
Dwayne Johnson backtracks on his support for Joe Rogan. The 49-year-old actor and wrestler previously announced his support for Rogan following the latter’s response video to the ongoing Spotify controversy. In recent weeks, Rogan has come under intense fire over accusations that his podcast promotes COVID-19 misinformation and encourages young people to avoid taking the vaccine.
The outspoken podcaster issued an apology after artists such as Neil Young and Jon Mitchell called on Spotify to remove their music, accusing the company of providing a platform for misinformation. Their outrage followed the publication of an open letter from 270 healthcare professionals, which criticized the company’s policy on misinformation. They also highlighted an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, which saw Rogan interviewing the discredited anti-vax scientist Robert Malone. Though he promised to “try harder” in a video posted to Instagram, garnering praise from celebrities such as Johnson, a video compilation has since begun to circulate online, demonstrating Rogan’s prolific use of the N-word and causing backlash to those who demonstrated support for the podcaster.
Now, in a response posted to Twitter, Johnson appears to have backtracked on his initial praise for Rogan. When asked by crime author Don Winslow if he was aware of Rogan’s prior use of racial slurs, Johnson claimed that he was not. The Jungle Cruise actor thanked Winslow for educating him on Rogan’s “complete narrative,” adding that it was a “learning moment” for him. Check out the post below:
The retracting of Johnson’s support comes amid a new video from Rogan in which the 54-year-old apologizes for his use of racial slurs and expresses his wish “that this can be a teachable moment.” The clips highlighting Rogan’s use of the N-word quickly became viral after they were shared by musician India Arie, who announced a few days ago that she too was removing her music from Spotify. Though the company has yet to indicate any intention to remove Rogan from the platform, it has since changed its stance on misinformation and removed around a hundred episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience from its library.
While the storm of controversy surrounding Rogan shows no sign of abating, Johnson’s quick apology may see him returned to the good graces of disgruntled fans with relative ease. With a number of prominent figures having weighed in on the criticism, it’s possible that others may follow Johnson’s example in retracting their preferred support. Though Rogan has also issued apologies, a graceful return to public favor seems a far-off and fanciful idea given the severity of the accusations leveled against him and the offense caused by his prior remarks.
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