About 24 hours after apologizing and promising to “have all the pertinent facts at hand” when discussing the coronavirus pandemic, Spotify podcaster Joe Rogan tweeted and then deleted an incorrect story about the drug ivermectin.
The medication has become a cause in right-wing media circles and Rogan ― one of its biggest backers ― tweeted: “Well lookie here” along with a story claiming the drug was effective against omicron in a phase III clinical trial.
That turned out to be incorrect and the story was updated.
Although Rogan deleted his tweet, he did not issue any kind of correction or followup statement. However, his tweet was preserved online by several people, including CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale:
Ivermectin is approved for use for parasites and other conditions in humans and animals. While there is no clinical trial evidence that it is effective against coronavirus, research is currently under way.
Rogan, who reportedly received $100 million from Spotify for the rights to his podcast, has talked up ivermectin on his show and even took it himself ― along with multiple other treatments ― when he got sick with COVID-19.
Rogan and Spotify have come under fire recently for spreading misinformation about the virus and the vaccine. Last week, rock legend Neil Young pulled his music from the company because of Rogan’s popular podcast.
“They can have Rogan or Young,” Young wrote at the time. “Not both.”
Other artists soon followed, most notably iconic singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell.
Rogan, who called himself a fan of both musicians, issued an apology of sorts and vowed to provide more balance in his discussion of the pandemic.
That vow seems to have lasted about 24 hours.
