Joe Rogan Explains How 'Cancel Campaign' Bolstered His Subscriber Base
As we continues to barrel headfirst into this strange, sordid 21st century of ours, there has been plenty of talk of free speech, and just what that is going to look like as we shift into a partially-digital existence.
The second world that we are building, the online one, is a largely privatized world. The freedoms granted to us by our democracy do not necessarily apply here, as large corporations sometimes helmed by megalomaniacs continue to make arbitrary decisions about what is and is not allowed in their “not public” space.
This has led to plenty of friction between the bastions of free speech and their Silicon Valley overlords, all fueled by some of the aforementioned manufactured outrage machines.
But this culling of right to speak freely has garnered its own sort of resistance as well, and Joe Rogan has proof.
Podcast giant Joe Rogan claimed his fan base only got bigger during the pressure campaign to remove him from Spotify.
In February, artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell spearheaded a movement of aging and lesser-known musicians who’ve pulled their music from Spotify in protest of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has been accused by critics of spreading COVID “misinformation.”
On Friday’s podcast, Rogan revealed how much he actually benefited from the controversy.
The numbers were simply staggering.
“You have been put through the ringer, Joe,” author and “JRE” guest Douglas Murray said. “Since we last met, they did a number on you.”
“They did,” Rogan responded. “It’s interesting. My subscriptions went up massively. That’s what crazy.”
“During the height of it all, I gained 2 million subscribers,” the host said.
Is Joe Rogan the exception to the rule, or is the phony concept of “cancel culture” just another way of reminding the world that there’s no such thing as bad press?
