As the last several months have evidenced, the Left is on mission to silence highly popular podcast host Joe Rogan.
For the Left, Rogan needs to be silenced, not because he’s “offensive,” or “dangerous,” but because he rejects their new, ever-shifting Overton window; instead, Rogan has on guests who are interesting and share ideas outside of the “mainstream” — which, by the way, typically align with those of tens of millions of Americans.
And the campaign to delegitimize and shut up Rogan has been relentless, mostly because of his reach, which is an estimated 11 million listeners per podcast.
Cable news has deceivingly framed the host as a dumb jock who takes “horse dewormer,” out-of-their-prime musicians have pulled their music from Spotify demanding Rogan’s deplatforming, CNN’s Brian Stelter has fulfilled his obligatory smears under the guise of Keeping The Media Accountable, accusations of murder have been flippantly hurled, and the White House has all but explicitly called for Rogan to be censored.
But Rogan is bigger than the mob — whether he recognizes it or not.
Not a single one of Rogan’s listeners will abandon him over the smears. They’ve spent hours and hours with the host and know he’s a decent, earnest guy who is genuinely interested in other people’s experiences and their knowledge. He wants to find truth, he wants to learn, and he wants to have fun. That’s it.
His massive audience will follow him wherever he goes. It doesn’t matter if Spotify deplatforms him, which is increasingly looking to be on the horizon.
The host can start his own platform if he wants — or go to a new company that values free speech.
The only thing that is truly a threat to Rogan is if the host gives the Left too much credit. As a liberal guy himself, he doesn’t have the same understanding conservatives have about the roots of cancel culture. His detractors are not even close to being offended or outraged or scandalized or worried about “misinformation” — they simply want him shut up for platforming or espousing views they do not agree with.
So they will stop at nothing to cancel him. Nothing.
Jesse Kelly highlighted it perfectly: “Joe Rogan seems like a really decent guy. But we are not in decent times.”
And the Left are not operating honestly.
Offering apologies and concessions, or changing what makes his show so special — a balance against the mainstream — is all that will separate Rogan from his fans.
So, Joe, you don’t need to apologize.