Harry And Meghan Join Celebrity Chorus Criticizing Spotify Over Joe Rogan's COVID Content

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have inserted themselves into the percolating controversy over Joe Rogan’s COVID-related content within his talk show hosted on the Spotify Technology S.A. SPOT podcast platform.

What Happened: The royal couple, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, issued a statement through their Archewell Inc. organization that calls out Spotify and COVID misinformation without mentioning Rogan’s name – although the statement’s release after the defection of singer/songwriters Neil Young and Joni Mitchell from Spotify over Rogan’s COVID content left little doubt about the source of the couple’s agitation.

“Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis,” the statement said. “Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day. Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all-too-real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform.”

“We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does,” the statement concludes.

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Why It Matters: The Sussexes signed a $30 million contract with Spotify in December 2020 under the banner Archewell Audio. However, they have yet to produce any content.

Last week, Spotify began advertising for the hiring of producers through Gimlet, its podcast unit, to begin assembling episodes for Archewell Audio.

“We’re currently assembling a show team that will build and launch a new original show with Archewell featuring the voices of high-profile women,” one of the advertisements said. “The ideal candidate has experience working with high-profile talent, and an interest in the intersection of social activism and popular culture.”

Photo: Northern Ireland Office / Wikimedia Commons