Brené Brown is the host of popular podcasts Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead. | Photo by Rick Kern / WireImage
Popular podcast host and author Brené Brown says she’s not going to release any new podcast episodes “until further notice” and didn’t offer a specific reason why. Brown’s pause on her podcasts comes shortly after both Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their music off Spotify in protest of Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast series.
Brown signed a multi-year deal with Spotify in 2020, and is the host of Spotify exclusive podcasts Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead. “I will not be releasing any podcasts until further notice,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “To our #UnlockingUs and #DaretoLead communities, I’m sorry and I’ll let you know if and when that changes.”
I will not be releasing any podcasts until further notice. To our #UnlockingUs and #DaretoLead communities, I’m sorry and I’ll let you know if and when that changes.
Stay awkward, brave, and kind. ❤️ ❤️
— Brené Brown (@BreneBrown) January 29, 2022
Spotify continues to face criticism for exclusively hosting the Joe Rogan Experience, which has been said to spout baseless conspiracy theories and misinformation about COVID-19. Earlier this week, Spotify removed Young’s music after the singer asked the platform to choose between him and Rogan. Mitchell’s departure from Spotify came shortly after, who says she stands “in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities.”
Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren joined the Spotify boycott as well and has since removed his music from the platform. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, also reportedly expressed their concerns about misinformation on Spotify — the couple signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in 2020.
The Joe Rogan Experience is the subject of an open letter signed off on by dozens of medical and scientific professionals who believe the podcast spreads “misleading and false claims” about COVID-19 vaccines, and plead with Spotify to develop a COVID-19 misinformation policy. In an internal memo viewed by The Verge, Spotify says none of Rogan’s episodes “meet the threshold for removal.” The company struck a $100 million deal with Rogan in 2020, and since experiencing such high-profile dropouts from the platform, its market capitalization fell by about $2.1 billion in the span of three days.