Joe Rogan Responds To Recent Spotify Controversies: ‘I Talk S--- For A Living’

On Tuesday night, Joe Rogan returned to the world of stand-up comedy.

He took the stage in Austin, Texas, where he was met with overwhelming applause as he candidly discussed the controversies resulting from his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.”

As The Hollywood Reporter explained, Rogan opened his show by discussing the recent video compilation that showed him stating the “N-word” many times throughout his podcast.

“I used to say it if [I was talking about] a Richard Pryor bit or something, I would say it in context,” Rogan said. “Somebody made a compilation of every time I said that word over 14 years and they put it on YouTube, and it turned out that was racist as f---. Even to me! I’m me and I’m watching it saying, ‘Stop saying it!’ I put my cursor over the video and I’m like, ‘Four more minutes?!'”

“I haven’t used that word in years,” he added. “But it’s kind of weird people will get really mad if you use that weird and tweet about it on a phone that’s made by slaves.” After that, he segued into a discussion about labor conditions overseas before circling back around to his other controversy: his polarizing COVID-19 guests.

“I talk s--- for a living... that’s why this is so baffling to me,” Rogan explained. “If you’re taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault?”

“What dumb s--- were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better?” he asked. “‘You know that dude who made people eat animal d----s on TV? How does he feel about medicine?’ If you want my advice, don’t take my advice.”

When asked if he was going to take the $100 million dollar deal offered by right-wing platform Rumble, Rogan said he was sticking with Spotify. “No, Spotify has hung in with me, inexplicably,” he said. “Let’s see what happens.”

When asked what made him most nervous, Rogan replied, “Being a bad person. For real. I try to do my best.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Rogan released a new episode of his podcast on Spotify, which featured guest comedian Akaash Singh.

Rogan said that it was a “relief” that the video compilation of him saying the “N-word” so many times had suddenly gone viral.

“In a lot of ways, this is a relief,” Rogan said. “That video had always been out there. This is a political hit job. They’re taking all this stuff I’ve ever said that’s wrong and smushing it all together. It’s good because it makes me address some stuff that I really wish wasn’t out there.”

Some individuals have criticized him for apologizing for his use of the racial word, including former President Donald Trump. According to PEOPLE, the former POTUS weighed in on the controversy to say that Rogan shouldn’t apologize for his use of the racial slur.

“Joe Rogan is an interesting and popular guy, but he's got to stop apologizing to the Fake News and Radical Left maniacs and lunatics,” Trump said. “How many ways can you say you're sorry?” PEOPLE noted that, after being banned from social media, Trump now has to email his comments to the press.

Despite criticism and pushback from conservative figures, Rogan stood behind his apology. “You should apologize if you regret something,” he said. “I do think you have to be careful not to apologize for nonsense.”

Singh seemed to come to Rogan’s defense, saying that people in “real life” know that he’s a “great guy.”

“Real life is people who know you and you’re a great guy,” Singh said.

“On a podcast where you’re talking for hours on end, I have said s--- about every demographic of human beings possible, and I regret every one that was, like … not funny,” he shared. “The punishment is, everybody hears it, and I’m an a------. But I can’t stop shooting, I can’t stop swinging.”

“Over time, people will understand you,” Rogan replied. “They know you. If you misstep, they know what you’re trying to do. You’re not a vicious person; you’re just trying to be funny.”