UFC commentator and podcast giant Joe Rogan claimed that his Joe Rogan Experience show gained a few million subscribers during the height of his recent controversies, though, not everyone is buying it.
In the last few years, the Joe Rogan Experience podcast has grown to become arguably the biggest podcast in the world. So much so that Spotify snapped the show up in a reported $200 million exclusivity deal.
Since the move to Spotify, though, Rogan’s show has increasingly been put under the microscope, with plenty of calls for the streaming service to rip up the deal. Those calls only intensified at the start of 2022, with Rogan coming under fire for allegations of racism due to previous comments he’d made.
A number of artists turned their back on Spotify because of Rogan’s involvement, also blasting his “public misinformation” regarding the global health situation. Though, according to the podcast host, he’d seen plenty of success on the back of all that.
The claims came during episode 1807, as Rogan spoke to repeat guest Douglas Murray about how life has changed since the last time the pair spoke.
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Murray noted that the podcast host had been “through the wringer” in regards to backlash about his show, with Rogan quickly agreeing. Though, he noted that it hadn’t all been too bad for him.
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“Yeah, I definitely got put through the wringer. They did, it’s interesting, but my subscriptions went up massively,” Rogan said. “That’s what crazy. During the height of it all, I gained two million subscribers.” The podcast host didn’t expand on that claim, moving swiftly on to other topics.
Timestamp of 4:40
While Rogan suggested that his growth had boomed in a way, that claim has been disputed by some. As per the Hollywood Reporter’s sources, the JRE Podcast has been growing “consistently” since joining Spotify but “hasn’t spiked” due to one particular moment or at a point in time.
Considerable changes have been made to the JRE Podcast in the wake of the backlash, though, it continues to be the most popular show on the airwaves.
Rogan has stated previously that he’d quit the show and his Spotify deal if he has to walk on eggshells, though, doesn’t look like it’ll happen anytime soon.