Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson seems to be reconsidering a few of his private assist for Joe Rogan after a video was shared exhibiting the podcast host utilizing racial slurs repeatedly throughout his broadcasts.

In a tweet Friday, Johnson stated he was not conscious that Rogan had used the N-word repeatedly on The Joe Rogan Expertise. Earlier within the week, Johnson had shared assist for Rogan in response to the controversy surrounding his podcast exploring anti-vaccine theories and COVID-19 misinformation.

“Thanks a lot for this,” Johnson — whose father is Black — replied to a tweet from creator Don Winslow.

“I hear you in addition to everybody right here 100% I used to be not conscious of his N-word use previous to my feedback, however now I’ve develop into educated to his full narrative. Studying second for me.”

Singer India Arie shared a compilation video late final week exhibiting 23 clips from Rogan’s present; within the clips, he makes use of the N-word 24 occasions. It additionally consists of footage of him making jokes about Black neighbourhoods and the film Planet of the Apes.

Arie posted the video to clarify why she requested Spotify to take away her catalogue from their streaming service.

“He shouldn’t even be uttering the phrase,” Arie stated. “Don’t even say it, beneath any context. Don’t say it. That’s the place I stand. I’ve all the time stood there.”

In an apology video posted on Instagram on Saturday, Rogan stated it was the “most regretful and shameful factor that I’ve ever needed to speak about publicly.”

Throughout the video, Rogan stated footage that emerged of him utilizing the epithet had been taken out of context, however regarded “horrible, even to me.”

“Now, I haven’t stated it in years, however for a very long time, after I would convey that phrase up, like, if it will come up in dialog and as an alternative of claiming the n-word, I might simply say the phrase — I believed so long as it was in context, individuals would perceive what I used to be doing,” he defined.

“It’s not my phrase to make use of. I’m properly conscious of that now, however for years I used it in that method,” he continues. “I by no means used it to be racist as a result of I’m not racist.”

Followers of Johnson have been divided final week after the previous wrestler shared some phrases of encouragement on a video that Rogan had posted in response to the fallout.

Within the video, Rogan stated he would “perhaps attempt more durable to get individuals with differing opinions,” after a number of musicians, together with Joni Mitchell and Neil Younger, pulled their music from the streaming service, citing what Younger known as Rogan’s vaccine “disinformation.”

In response to the video, Johnson wrote: “Nice stuff right here, brother. Completely articulated.”

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Joe Rogan addresses Spotify controversy

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He added that he regarded ahead to “approaching someday and breaking out the tequila with you.”

Media experiences on Saturday stated greater than 70 episodes of The Joe Rogan Expertise podcast had been faraway from the Spotify Expertise SA service.

Final week, Spotify chief govt Daniel Ek stated it’s vital the streaming service doesn’t “tackle the place of being content material censor whereas additionally ensuring that there are guidelines in place and penalties for individuals who violate them.”

In an announcement over the weekend, Ek stated: “Whereas I strongly condemn what Joe has stated … I need to make one level very clear — I don’t imagine that silencing Joe is the reply … We should always have clear traces round content material and take motion when they’re crossed, however cancelling voices is a slippery slope.”

Ought to Rogan ultimately depart Spotify, it seems a suitor has emerged: Rumble, a video streaming platform, has provided Rogan a spot for his podcast.

In a tweet on Monday, Rumble provided Rogan $100 million over 4 years ought to he select to half methods with Spotify.

“That is our likelihood to save lots of the world,” a letter credited to Rumble CEO Chris Pawlovski stated. “And, sure, that is completely legit.”

— With information from Reuters