From UFC to chatting with Elon Musk and Robert Downey Jnr: how The Joe Rogan Experience, now on Spotify, made the former game show host and stand-up comedian the world’s highest-paid podcaster
He’s apparently ‘educated more people in MMA than anybody ever’, but it’s Joe Rogan’s podcast, now available on Spotify, that’s making him the big bucks
Joe Rogan’s wildly popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, is finally available on Spotify – and it’s already managed to stir up controversy.
Just last week Rogan was accused of making transphobic comments and spreading misinformation about the Oregon wildfires on his show.
Spotify announced in May that The Joe Rogan Experience, which has aired on Rogan’s YouTube channel since its launch 11 years ago, would now be available on the platform starting September 1, and that it would become exclusive to Spotify later in 2020. The multi-year licensing agreement could be worth upwards of US$100 million based on the podcast’s performance metrics and other factors, a source told The Wall Street Journal when the deal was announced. Spotify declined to comment on the financial details of the deal.
The Joe Rogan Experience is downloaded almost 200 million times a month and brought in US$30 million last year, making the comedian and UFC commentator the highest-paid podcaster of 2019, according to Forbes. Rogan’s podcast guests have included Tesla CEO Elon Musk, US Senator Bernie Sanders, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and actor Robert Downey Jnr.
Rogan, whose eclectic career has spanned various industries, from comedy to martial arts, is no stranger to controversy. Before his Spotify deal he was criticised for hosting guests like alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones – who called the Sandy Hook mass shooting a hoax – on his podcast twice.
Here’s what we know about Rogan’s life, career, and his new deal with Spotify.
Rogan reassured fans his podcast wouldn’t change or dumb itself down as a result of the Spotify deal
On the day the Spotify deal was announced, Rogan wrote on Instagram that his podcast will remain free.
“It will be the exact same show,” he said. “It’s just a licensing deal, so Spotify won’t have any creative control over the show. They want me to just continue doing it the way I’m doing it right now.”