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“Not only are some of Joe Rogan’s comments incredibly hurtful -- I want to make clear that they do not represent the values of this company,” Ek emphasized. “I know this situation leaves many of you feeling drained, frustrated and unheard.”

“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more,” Ek said in the letter, which was reported earlier by The Hollywood Reporter. 

“I want to make one point very clear -- I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek wrote. “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.”

He did not directly mention the comedian’s use of the N-word. But Ek said Spotify would invest $100 million “for the licensing, development and marketing of music and audio content from historically marginalized groups.”

Spotify is the new kid on the block. They only entered the podcasting business three years ago. And since they acquired Rogan, they have increased the value of the platform. 

It now hosts around 3.6 million shows. And produces some of those shows. And licenses others. 

Rumble joins the fray

Podcaster Joe Rogan and Spotify seemed to be in agreement. And the never-ending controversies begin again.

Conservative leaning Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski tweeted at Rogan on Monday. The company says it's "ready to fight alongside" him should he decide to leave Spotify.

"How about you bring all your shows to Rumble, both old and new, with no censorship, for 100 million bucks over four years? This is our chance to save the world. And yes, this is totally legit," Pavlovski said in his Twitter post. 

With the news, shares of CF Acquisition VI, the SPAC that has an agreement to take Rumble public surged more than 18%. According to Business Insider as of December 2021 Rumble has a value of $2.1 billion.

Canada-based Rumble also has an agreement to use its platform for video and streaming for Truth Social, Trump's proposed social media app.

Rumble has received funding from conservative backers including Narya Capital, backed in part by "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, and billionaire Trump supporter Peter Thiel. The Wall Street Journal reported a May funding round to be "around $500 million," more than plenty to back up Monday's offer.