Joe Rogan brings back guest that caused massive Spotify backlash

Joe Rogan is well known for having a wide range of guests on his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.

In fact, Rogan famously interviewed Donald Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 election and was in talks with the Kamala Harris team to bring the former VP onto his show as well, although, of course, that never panned out.

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Not all of his guests are well-received by the public, though. In fact, Rogan has talked with many controversial figures in the past, and in some cases, this has gotten the podcaster in hot water with groups calling for boycotts and trying to convince Spotify to drop his contract.

One of those controversial guests is Abigail Shrier, a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, as well as the author of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing our Daughters, and Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up.

With book titles like that, it’s not hard to see why some would be upset with Rogan for giving Shrier a platform. However, the Podcaster has a blunt two-word reply to those who have tried to get Shrier (and his own show) cancelled for airing viewpoints that go against the mainstream orthodoxy on transgender and parenting issues.

Rogan does not shy away from controversial guests.

Image source: NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Podcast guest led to problems in the past, but Rogan has her back

Shrier appeared in an episode of The Rogan Experience, Episode #2109, and Rogan started off the show by telling the author that it was “Good to see you again.”

This was a reception Shrier was surprised about, as Shrier said that when she was on the show last, people tried to get the episode kicked off Spotify.

Rogan wasn’t phased by that bad reaction, though, and he had a blunt two-word reply for those who engaged in the effort to suppress the show from getting out: “They're wrong.”

Rogan went on to explain in more detail why he felt that efforts to block Shrier’s show from being broadcast were wrong, explaining, “Every time someone wants to stop discussions, they're wrong, they're wrong.”

While this episode aired months ago, the verified account for Joe Rogan Podcast News reposted the clip on X on July 1, 2025, bringing renewed attention to the issue of whether all guests should be welcome on the Spotify network – even those who question established medical advice on gender affirming care or the positive effects therapy and medication can have on certain children struggling with conditions like anxiety and ADHD.

Rogan has consistently taken an anti-censorship position

Rogan’s defense of his decision to bring Shrier back onto his show in the reposted clip demonstrates that the comedian is simply not going to be silenced when it comes to airing a diversity of viewpoints.

In fact, he addressed the issue of censorship again on a more recent show when speaking with Cory Sandhagen.

In that episode, Rogan tackled the government censorship of social media networks, warning that if the government gets “a real grip” on social media, it will become impossible to protest or express yourself about things, even when they are true.

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Of course, the idea that the government has censored social media posts is an unproven conspiracy theory, and there are valid concerns about airing what some believe to be dangerous misinformation about medical issues on a show that’s listened to by millions each day.

Still, as the recent Twitter post showed, Rogan isn’t going to let anyone silence him, or those who he chooses to bring on as guests. And, for better or worse, he has the platform to make sure that the voices he wants people to listen to can be heard.