Klitschko vs Joe Rogan: “You repeat Putin’s propaganda.”

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Joe Rogan is not a lightweight. The former kickboxer achieved celebrity status in the 1990s through interviews with Octagon and as a commentator for MMA association UFC. In 2009, he founded the YouTube podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.” It is now considered the most listened to in the world.

In an effort to lure Rogen from YouTube to Spotify, the streaming service reportedly paid the comedian $200 million in 2020. The contract was extended in 2024. Another $250 million. Crazy: Despite the huge amount, Spotify gave up certain exclusivity rights.

Bro’s Opinion Leader: Joe Rogan.Bild: Screenshot youtube

Spotify does not provide podcast usage data. But in March, Bloomberg reported that Rogan had more than 14 million followers on Spotify alone. 18 million on YouTube. You can spin it any way you want: This guy has a huge audience. He satisfies this with his view of things.

“How could you make a decision like this so shortly before the transition of power?” Rogan recently asked his millions of listeners. He was referring to Joe Biden's promise to Ukraine that he would be allowed to attack Russian military targets with U.S. long-range missiles. «Zelensky claims Putin is scared. Forget that, man. You are about to start World War III. “

Rogan did not mention that the attack on Russian military targets was Ukraine's self-defense. This angered another martial arts celebrity: Wladimir Klitschko.

The former heavyweight world boxing champion accused Rogan of repeating Putin's propaganda on Instagram: “You're talking about U.S. weapons in Ukraine causing World War III. Let me tell you: you're repeating Putin's propaganda.

And the Ukrainian Klitschko, his brother, the mayor of Kiev, immediately delivered the next blow: “Putin's Russia is in trouble, so they want to scare you and people like you. His war should have continued Three days, but because of the heroism and sacrifice of my people, it lasted three years. So they are using the only weapon Putin really intended to use: propaganda. It's really weakening our democracy. Russia under Putin wants to quietly destroy Ukraine. Not nice, but great. America is not a country that gives up its life to defend freedom. Look, I have a lot of different opinions, and if you invite me on your podcast, we can talk about it.”

Whether Joe Rogan will actually invite Klitschko remains to be seen. Rogen is often one-sided when it comes to choosing guests. Before the US election, he invited J.D. Vance and Donald Trump, but not the Democratic candidates. He later explained that they could not agree on the terms.

The choice of guests isn't the only criticism of the popular podcaster. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rogan has repeatedly attracted attention with his populist but unscientific remarks. In response to one of the incidents, more than 1,000 epidemiologists signed a letter of protest.