Dwayne Johnson has retracted his support for controversial podcaster Joe Rogan after videos of him using the N-word circulated over the weekend.
Earlier this month, the actor surprised fans when he showed his support for “The Joe Rogan Experience” host on Instagram when he posted a video addressing claims he spreads Covid-19 misinformation on his podcast.
Johnson commented on the video, “Great stuff here, brother. Perfectly articulated,” and told Rogan he was looking forward to “breaking out the tequila” with him.
However, he retracted his support over the weekend when videos showing Rogan using the N-word on his podcast resurfaced on social media.
Author and activist Don Winslow told the action man on Twitter that defending the host, “a guy that used and laughed about using the N word dozens of times, is a terrible use of your power.”
Dear @donwinslow
Thank you so much for this
I hear you as well as everyone here 100%
I was not aware of his N word use prior to my comments, but now I've become educated to his complete narrative.
Learning moment for me.Mahalo, brother and have a great & productive weekend.
DJ https://t.co/3mBf85wRoe— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 5, 2022
Johnson retweeted the message and replied, “Thank you so much for this I hear you as well as everyone here 100% I was not aware of his N word use prior to my comments, but now I’ve become educated to his complete narrative. Learning moment for me.”
She follows in the footsteps of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, who remove their music from the platform over claims of Covid-19 misinformation on Rogan’s podcast.
Addressing the new controversy, the host said he “felt sick” watching the clips and wished he could take his comments back. He called his use of the N-word “shameful,” offered his “deepest” apologies, and said, “I do hope that this can be a teachable moment for anybody that doesn’t know how offensive that word can be coming out of a white person’s mouth.”
However, he defended himself by insisting the clips had been “taken out of context of twelve years of conversations on my podcast.”
