Newton South Alum Joe Rogan Sparks Unrest Online

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Abby Hepner
Opinions Section Editor

I think it is safe to say that most Newton South students know that famous actors (particularly those starring in The Office) like John Krasinski and B.J. Novak are alumni of NSHS. However, did you know that podcaster (among other roles) Joe Rogan also graduated from Newton South back in 1985? In light of recent news, some might like to forget that Rogan once attended our school. 

In response to Rogan spreading “disinformation” about COVID-19 on his podcast entitled The Joe Rogan Experience, famous rockstar Neil Young told Spotify, “They can have Rogan or Young. Not Both.” Although Spotify adjusted its guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 misinformation (under the category of medical misinformation), the streaming service did not remove Rogan’s podcast, so Young detached himself and his music from the site. 

In addition to Neil Young, other artists and podcasters have pulled their content from Spotify in response to the disinformation Rogan has spread. Among the Spotify-leavers are Joni Mitchell; David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash; India Arie; and Mary Trump (ironically, the niece of Donald Trump). 

Although this is certainly not the first time Rogan has been on the front page of the news, it may very well be the first time he is in hot water on two unrelated accounts.

Joe Rogan’s use of racial slurs may actually eclipse the drama over his COVID misinformation. At Rogan’s own request, Spotify removed more than 70 (pre-pandemic) episodes from his podcast due to racist content. In addition to using the n-word over 20 times in various clips over the past 12 years, Rogan also compared a Black neighborhood in Philadelphia to a “Planet of the Apes” movie in a prior podcast episode. 

In response to the compilation of video clips, Rogan publicly apologized on social media, claiming that he is not racist and has learned from his mistakes. Rogan also explained that the clips were taken out of context, and in many cases, he was quoting other people.  

It is nice to know that Rogan has learned from his mistakes and regrets his past statements. It is also hard to believe that an educated human being could have accidentally used racially charged language so repeatedly. Notwithstanding Rogan’s intentions or explanations, I highly doubt that Newton South is proud to have him as an alumnus.