Joe Rogan reportedly turns down $100 million offer to move his podcast: 'Spotify has hung in with me, inexplicably'

• Joe Rogan said he was not leaving for Spotify for Rumble and its looser content-moderation rules.
• The site, favored by the right, offered him $100 million to leave the streamer.

Joe Rogan has no plans to leave Spotify anytime soon.

During a fan Q&A after an intimate stand-up set in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday night, Rogan said his controversial podcast would remain on the streaming platform, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"No, Spotify has hung in with me, inexplicably. Let's see what happens," Rogan said Tuesday night in response to fan questions about taking his show elsewhere.

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Rogan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As other artists left Spotify in protest of the company allowing his show to remain on its platform, the conservative-leaning video site Rumble offered Rogan $100 million to host his podcast there.

"How about you bring all your shows to Rumble, both old and new, with no censorship, for 100 million bucks over four years? This is our chance to save the world. And yes, this is totally legit," CEO Chris Pavlovski said in his pitch sent on Twitter.

The saga began in January when Rogan interviewed a doctor who claimed without evidence that Americans were "hypnotized" into wearing masks, a notion that psychologists debunked. He's also said young, healthy people don't need to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

It's become the latest flashpoint in a debate around free speech, how to moderate content online, and who should be responsible for removing harmful information.

In part of his response, Rogan said: "I'm not a doctor — I'm a fucking moron. I'm not a respected source of information."

And on Wednesday, he reiterated that idea, saying: "I talk shit for a living — that's why this is so baffling to me. If you're taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault? What dumb shit were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better?"

Going forward, Rogan said he could do more research about controversial topics and "have all the pertinent facts at hand before I discuss them."

He also apologized to Spotify for involving the company in the controversy that his show had caused.

Spotify and its CEO, Daniel Ek, have stood firmly behind Rogan, even after the site pulled more than 100 episodes of his show at his and his team's request. Ek said he didn't agree with many of Rogan's comments, including his use of a racial slur, but that he didn't believe that silencing him was the answer.

Spotify and Rogan signed a "multiyear" deal in May 2020. The announcement was scant on financial and logistical details, but the price tag was reported to be $100 million. It's unclear when its exclusivity expires or whether Rogan can immediately move his podcast elsewhere.