Joe Rogan claims former presidents threw 'a lot of money' at Spotify removal effort over COVID controversy

Podcast host Joe Rogan made new allegations on Wednesday that several critics, including former U.S. presidents, "spent a lot of money" attempting to remove his hit show from Spotify after he was accused of spreading misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On "The Joe Rogan Experience," Rogan sat down with behavior expert and author Chase Hughes to discuss social media and the importance of influence on various platforms while dealing with critics.

During the interview, Rogan revealed that his show lost a significant number of sponsors during the pandemic — despite having such a large following — over various statements he made about vaccines and lockdowns. 

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Joe Rogan said several political groups and even former presidents pressured Spotify to remove "The Joe Rogan Experience" during the COVID-19 pandemic over vaccine misinformation allegations. ("The Joe Rogan Experience"/YouTube)

"Well, the position that I was in during the COVID thing was very unique," Rogan said.

"I had already — I’d gotten such a head start. I was so far ahead of them," he added. "They didn’t realize my ability to say, ‘Wait, this is — this doesn’t make any sense.’ Like, none of this makes any sense." 

Rogan was previously accused of spreading misinformation during the pandemic after he told listeners he would not receive the shot if he was young and in good health, while also criticizing COVID-19-era lockdowns. 

At the time, Rogan claimed to have successfully used a cocktail of medications — including ivermectin — after he was diagnosed with the virus.

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Joe Rogan said there was "a lot of coordination" behind efforts to remove his show from Spotify over alleged COVID-19 misinformation but declined to discuss details, calling it "pretty deep." (Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The podcast host’s remarks set off a media firestorm in the midst of the pandemic, with Rogan revealing this week that a slew of PACs and several other groups pressed Spotify and his sponsors to remove his show from the Sweden-based company’s platform. 

"Thank God I was on Spotify, and thank God Spotify is not an American company," Rogan said. "And also, it helped that I was number one in, like, 90 countries and not number 90 in one country, you know? That helped. That helped a lot." 

Rogan went on to claim during Wednesday’s episode that even former presidents were involved in the alleged takedown.

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Joe Rogan attends an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 18, 2026. (Allison Robbert/The Washington Post/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"I can’t even talk about it, but there [were] presidents involved — and former presidents involved — that were contacting Spotify," Rogan said. "[They were] trying to get me removed for vaccine misinformation. And it turned out to be right. All of it. Not a single [person] apologized." 

"I lost a lot, a lot during those days," he added. 

Rogan did not reveal which public officials or PACs were involved in the alleged attempt to derail his show.

He added "there was a lot of coordination" behind the efforts to remove his show, but said, "I don’t talk about it too much because it’s — it’s pretty — it’s pretty deep."

"It was nuts, but it didn’t work, right?" Rogan continued. "But they tried. They spent a lot of money. A lot of money. It wasn't a small amount of money, it wasn't a small amount of people. It was a lot of people, and a lot of money. That part was spooky."

Following the 2022 backlash surrounding Rogan’s portrayal of the pandemic and vaccines, Spotify announced it would "add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19."

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Fox News Digital reached out to Spotify for comment but did not immediately receive a response.