Even before the racial element emerged, the fallout from Rogan’s controversial statements on COVID vaccines were already costing Spotify not only music, but also other podcasts. Vox Media’s The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway and the Luminary-iHeartRadio produced The Roxanne Gay Agenda have both pulled their shows off Spotify in protest over what they believe is the company’s lackluster response to anti-vaccine misinformation on The Joe Rogan Experience and other podcasts.
“This is going to hurt us more than it is going to hurt them,” said Galloway, who said 10% to 12% of The Prof G Pod downloads come on Spotify. “If you’re constantly railing as I do against anti-vaccine misinformation, you shouldn’t cash the check of someone who is creating false balance round vaccine misinformation,” he said on the Vox podcast Pivot, which he co-hosts with Kara Swisher. Unlike The Prof G Pod, which Galloway controls, Pivot will remain on Spotify since Swisher is not on board with pulling the show, she explained on its latest episode.
Gay’s decision comes just weeks after she launched The Roxanne Gay Agenda with Luminary and iHeartRadio.
Earlier, the creators of the Science Vs. podcast said their show would go on semi-hiatus on Spotify other than to produce new shows geared toward addressing vaccine misinformation on the platform. “We think Spotify has a responsibility to do more,” they wrote in a Twitter post.
But Brené Brown, the host of the Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead podcasts, is going in the other direction. After delaying release of her shows last week, Brown said now that Spotify has published its misinformation policy, it appears to address the majority of her concerns. In a blog post she said she expected to return to Spotify this week.
You can still find Late Night Parents with Ted Hicks podcast on Spotify.