Joe Rogans Spotify Debut Sparks Speculation Over Missing Episodes – Forbes

Comedian Joe Rogan performs during his appearance at The Ice House Comedy Club on May 10, 2017 in ... [+] Pasadena, California. (Photo by Michael Schwartz/WireImage)

Joe Rogans Spotify debut has sparked intense speculation from fans, as several episodes appear to be missing from Spotifys new Joe Rogan Experience channel.

Scanning through the list of absent episodes, a pattern seems to emerge; Gavin McInnes, Alex Jones, Stefan Molyneux, and many other figures associated with the alt-right are currently missing. Most of the absent episodes (but not all), feature highly controversial media personalities, whose appearances on the podcast were heavily criticized.

McInnes founded a violent, neo-fascist organization known as the Proud Boys, Jones regularly regurgitates outlandish conspiracy theories, while Molyneux is a passionate believer in race science, also known as scientific racism, or simply, racism.

But not all of the missing episodes feature guests obsessed with skull shapes, IQ scores, and interdimensional illuminati - documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux, pot activist Tommy Chong and comedian Nick Kroll are also missing from Spotify.

Longtime Rogan fans, already fearing the corporatization of the podcast due to the Spotify exclusivity deal, began to speculate wildly, many suspecting that the podcast might be shifting direction, away from the controversies of the past.

Mikhaila Peterson, famous for being Jordan Petersons daughter (and promoter of a quack diet that literally consists of beef, salt and water), was initially missing from Rogans Spotify channel, but her episode was uploaded a few hours later.

Peterson took to Twitter to call out Spotify for perceived censorship, but was quickly placated by the reappearance of her episode.

Strangely enough, Alex Jones spoke up to calm the fanbase with an uncharacteristically level-headed analysis that didnt involve time-travelling child molesters, or even human-animal hybrids. Jones claims that the missing episodes are Rogans favorite one hundred episodes, and will stay on YouTube, before eventually migrating to Spotify.

That explanation doesnt make a great deal of sense - for example, it seems unlikely that a dull conversation with disgraced comedian Chris D'Elia is one of Rogans favorite episodes. While the missing episodes might find their way to Spotify at some point, its still unclear why they are being excluded in the first place.

Perhaps Rogan really is moving away from the baggage of his past, despite being a consistent, vocal critic of cancel culture and deplatforming. Rogans previous description of the Spotify deal implied that his show would remain unchanged, platforming a diverse range of voices, from the interesting, to downright unhinged:

They want me to just continue doing it the way Im doing it right now, Rogan stated. Its just a licensing deal, so Spotify wont have any creative control over the show. It will be the exact same show."

One major appeal of the podcast was Rogans willingness to listen to a broad range of opinions. However, that attitude wasnt always consistent, or admirable. Was there ever any need to broadcast a conversation with Stefan Molyneux? Pseudoscience and bigotry arent exactly in short supply, and amplifying destructive voices isnt the same as platforming quirky outsiders.

But the Joe Rogan Experience has already changed quite a bit since its inception, having attracted enough attention to turn the podcast into a valuable marketing platform.

Whether it will lean heavily into that direction, remains to be seen.

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Joe Rogans Spotify Debut Sparks Speculation Over Missing Episodes - Forbes