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Dwayne Johnson showed his support for Joe Rogan after the podcast host responded to the handful of artists protesting his presence on the Spotify platform.
On Monday, Rogan released a nearly ten-minute video response to critics calling for the platform to remove "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast, arguing that he often spreads misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic on the show.
Last week, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and guitarist Nils Lofgren announced that they were pulling their music off the platform until it addresses the issue of misinformation on Rogan’s show. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also issued a statement noting they had some concerns about misinformation on the platform, where they have an exclusive deal, without mentioning Rogan directly.
In the comments of Rogan’s lengthy video, in which he defended the content of his show as well as the qualifications of the guests he had on, Johnson complimented the UFC commentator and said that he hopes to come on "The Joe Rogan Experience" soon.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson complimented Joe Rogan on his response to backlash to his presence on Spotify. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for DJ - Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
"Great stuff here brother," Johnson wrote. "Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you."
Representatives for Johnson did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Although Johnson has never been on Rogan’s popular podcast, the duo has had a few friendly exchanges on social media and the former "Fear Factor" host previously backed Johnson in 2020 amid speculation that the former WWE star was planning to run for political office, according to Newsweek.
Rogan's video post lasted about 10 minutes. He spoke about the challenges of preparing for his shows that are unscripted and free-flowing. He defended his interviews with Dr. Peter McCullough, a cardiologist, and Dr. Robert Malone, an infectious disease specialist, that resulted in some criticism and apparently led to Young's decision to call on his songs being removed from the platform.
Democratic have called for Joe Rogan to be silenced by Spotify. (Photo by Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images | getty)
JOE ROGAN BREAKS SILENCE AFTER NEIL YOUNG'S SPOTIFY CONTROVERSY
He challenged the word "misinformation" given that so much is still being learned about COVID-19. He said Spotify will begin to put a disclaimer at the beginning of these sorts of interviews, and he will also consider following them up with an expert with a different opinion.
"I’m going to do my best, in the future, to balance things out…I’m going to do my best," he said. "But my point of doing this, always, is just to create interesting conversations and ones that I hope people enjoy."
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek released a statement over the weekend in which he made the company’s policies on misinformation, specifically when it comes to COVID-19, public in an effort to be transparent about the situation going forward.
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Dwayne Johnson arrives at the premiere of Universal Pictures' "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" at Dolby Theatre on July 13, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
"You’ve had a lot of questions over the last few days about our platform policies and the lines we have drawn between what is acceptable and what is not," he wrote. "We have had rules in place for many years but admittedly, we haven’t been transparent around the policies that guide our content more broadly. This, in turn, led to questions around their application to serious issues including COVID-19.
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"Based on the feedback over the last several weeks, it’s become clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time.
Fox News' Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report.
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