Joe Rogan marks return to stand up by mocking recent controversies

Washington [US], February 10 : Joe Rogan recently returned to the stand-up stage with a self-deprecating set that mocked and discussed his recent controversies, saying, "If you want my advice, don't take my advice."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, headlining an intimate show in Austin, Texas, before a rapturous crowd of fans, the embattled comic and podcaster tackled his controversies, particularly the widely-circulated viral video of the comedian using the N-word on his podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience'.
Rogan said, "I used to say it if [I was talking about] a Richard Pryor bit or something, I would say it in context." He added, "Somebody made a compilation of every time I said that word over 14 years and they put it on YouTube, and it turned out that was racist as fuck. Even to me! I'm me and I'm watching it saying, 'Stop saying it!' I put my cursor over the video and I'm like, 'Four more minutes?!'"
Rogan continued, "I haven't used that word in years. But it's kind of weird people will get really mad if you use that word and tweet about it on a phone that's made by slaves," then segued into a bit about labour conditions at overseas cellphone factories.
He later mocked his other major controversy, the vaccine misinformation that's been discussed on his podcast, saying, "I talk shit for a living, that's why this is so baffling to me. If you're taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault? What dumb shit were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better? 'You know that dude who made people eat animal d---s on TV? How does he feel about medicine?' If you want my advice, don't take my advice."
During a question and answer portion with fans after the show, Rogan was asked if he would accept the USD 100 million offer from Rumble to move his show from Spotify to the right-wing platform. The comedian said he was planning to stick with the streamer, saying, "No, Spotify has hung in with me, inexplicably, let's see what happens."
Another audience member asked him what makes him the most nervous. "Being a bad person," he said, seeming sincere. "For real. I try to do my best." The show at the Vulcan Gas Company marked the first announced appearance by the comedian since he became embroiled in controversy.
Earlier this Tuesday, Rogan slammed his recent controversies as "a political hit job" in a new episode of his podcast. He also discussed his recent headlines with his guest, comic Akaash Singh. He also pushed back on right-wing criticisms of his recent apology video, noting, "You should apologize if you regret something. I do think you have to be careful not to apologize for nonsense."
The move follows former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis separately weighing in on the comedian's apology.
Former presidential contender Andrew Yang made headlines by deleting a tweet about Rogan where he had defended the podcaster by saying, "I don't think Joe Rogan is a racist ... The man interacts with and works with black people literally all of the time." Yang called the tweet "wrong-headed" and said, "It also hurt people, which is never my intent. I'm sorry."
Rogan has been the focus of a major controversy in recent weeks following musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulling their music from Spotify in protest of the streamer being the exclusive distributor of the comedian's podcast, which has featured guests in recent months who spread misinformation about the coronavirus vaccines.
The controversy became more heated last Thursday after musician India Arie circulated a compilation of clips of Rogan using the N-word on his podcast over the years. She likewise requested her music be removed from the service, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Rogan took to Instagram to apologize for his use of the racial slur, calling his comments "the most regretful and shameful thing that I've ever had to talk about publicly."