Actor The Rock is backing down on his previous statement showing support to controversial podcaster Joe Rogan, saying he was never aware of his N-word statement.
The actor The Rock was responding to fan notices on Rogan’s “N-word” controversy after initially supporting Rogan’s take on the protest removal of music by Neil Young and other musicians from Spotify, where Rogan’s podcast is licensed.
The musicians have spurned the streamer to object to Rogan’s guests on his podcast and some of the information shared therein.
Rogan’s already hot seat heated up Friday when singer India Arie posted a montage of clips showing Rogan using the “N-word.” Arie posted the clips to allegedly tell fans why she was withdrawing her music from Spotify.
Before that, Rogan has claimed he is only interested in “telling the truth” and having “interesting conversations.”
At the time, Johnson commented on Rogan’s explanation video: “Great stuff here, brother. Perfectly articulated.” He also said that he looked forward to one day appearing on Rogan’s podcast and “breaking out the tequila with you.”
Now, Johnson is having second thoughts on his prior comments.
“I was not aware of his N-word use before my comments, but now I’ve become educated to his complete narrative. Learning moment for me.”
After the India Arie clips were circulated, Rogan apologized for his use of the racial slur on Saturday via Instagram.
“It looks fucking horrible. Even to me,” Rogan said. “I know that to most people, there is no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word, never mind publicly on a podcast. And I agree with that now, I haven’t said it in years.”
Spotify has quietly deleted more than 100 episodes of the Rogan podcast in the last few days. The subject matter was not known, although many of the guests on the programs were well-known conservative voices.