Joe Rogan has sparked fresh controversy by joking about child sex abuse on the latest episode of his widely polarising podcast.
The 54-year-old has been embroiled in controversy over spreading fake information about Covid-19 onThe Joe Rogan Experience, as well as his use of the N-word in past episodes.
During Tuesday’s episode (8 February) of his podcast, Rogan caused more outrage after making “vulgar” comments about child sex abuse victims.
Speaking with stand-up comic Akaash Singh during a three-hour interview, Rogan said that boys who have sexual relationships with older women are “going to be fine” provided that the woman is not “gross”.
The pair discussed a female friend of Rogan’s who allegedly had an affair with a 30-year-old teacher when she was in high school, and the songs that have inspired men to write about lusting after underage women.
Referencing The Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” or Gene Simmons “Christine Sixteen”, Rogan noted: “No one would write a song about that today. You’d be like, wait a minute, are you saying you want to f*** kids? Is that your song? Hey! No! I’m not gonna – I’m just saying don’t stand so close to me.”
Rogan continued that the “crazy thing” is that “no one gives a f*** if it’s a 15-year-old boy and a 30-year-old lady” before Singh interjected: “G’s up.”
Then the controversial podcast host referenced a Zach Galifianakis joke about a boy who died because he was having an affair with his high school teacher.
(Joe Rogan Podcast)
“Yeah, his friends high-fived him to death,” Rogan delivered the punchline. adding, “You don’t feel bad at all.”
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When Singh pointed out that there’s an age where having sex with an adult would “f*** the kid for sure”, Rogan said that even at 13, “he’s going to be fine if he’s got a good dad.”
He added: “You’re going to be fine, kid, keep moving. Walk it off. Listen, you found out about something awesome early. But it depends on what the woman looks like.”
Rogan said that an affair between a “giant football player-looking lady” and an underage boy would be “gross” but if the woman he was having sex with looked “like Sofia Vergara” then “you’re like, ‘you son of a b****,’ you know.”
Singh also commented on high school teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, who was jailed for raping her sixth-grade student in 1996, saying that Letourneau was “not that bad looking.”
The Independent has contacted Spotify for comment.
Following the initial backlash over Rogan’s podcast, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced his decision to add content advisory labels where required, and also shared the company’s content guidelines.
Rogan’s comments on the most recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience appear to violate Spotify’s platform rules prohibiting content “promoting, normalising, or glorifying child grooming behaviours.”
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.
