The controversy surrounding Joe Rogan’s use of racist slurs on his podcast has roped in another infamous talk show host: Howard Stern. As social media discussed the viral video where Rogan used the “N-word” at least 70 times on his podcast, some people brought up clips of Stern being racist over the years as well. However, those who hoped to defend Rogan with these clips were sorely disappointed.
Rogan has been under heavy criticism in recent weeks for spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. This has brought up many other long-standing criticisms of Rogan and put them back in the spotlight – including his prolific use of the “N-word” over the years. Some of Rogan’s fans have defended him, arguing that there is a context in which that word is not offensive, or arguing that he has grown over the years. Some brought up clips of Stern being racist over the years, arguing that people have no right to be angry at Rogan if they’re not equally angry at Stern.
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This generally fell flat as far as defending Rogan went. Commenters were quick to say that they don’t approve of either man’s commentary on race and have not approved of it for years. If anything, dredging up these old clips only put Stern in the hot seat right beside Rogan.
Rogan issued an apology for using the racist slur which has also been widely condemned. Stern has also apologized for his past offenses, but some critics still say they would rather see him taken off the air. Here’s a look at how the conversation when when Stern was introduced to it.
Redundant
People thought that bringing up Stern in this context was irrelevant since Stern has already been tried in the court of public opinion, so to speak. Many were exasperated by having to relitigate celebrities’ offensive behavior every time a comparable offense was in the headlines.
Politics
In the process of using this argument, many commenters made unfounded assertions about both Stern and Rogan’s political beliefs in order to argue that critics were selecting which radio host to be angry at based on their affiliations. As a matter of fact, both Stern and Rogan fall outside of easy classifications like Democrat, Republican, Liberal and Conservative. Both were extremely critical of former President Donald Trump, and Stern has been affiliated with the Libertarian Party at times, which is a conservative-leaning third party.
Irrelevant
Some people replied that any discussion of Stern in this context was irrelevant and refused to address it further.
What’s Your Point?
Commenters noted that this argument about Stern was either calling for him to be taken off the air or saying that the poster believed it was acceptable for Stern to do blackface. Since many of Rogan’s defenders have called criticism against him “censorship,” it would be hypocritical for them to suggest that Stern should be taken off the air if they believe his offenses were worse than Rogan’s.
Rotating Villain
Some people felt that arguing whether Rogan or Stern was more offensive missed the point of the debate entirely. They felt that systemic issues should be tackled, not individual ones.
Low-Hanging Fruit
People on all sides of the issue agreed that Stern was an easy target in any “cancel culture” discussion.
Wrong Targets
Finally, many critics said that neither Stern nor Rogan were the real targets of their outrage, but SiriusXM and Spotify were. They felt that the companies that profit from misinformation and racism should be held to account first and foremost.
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