On Tuesday night, iconic podcaster Joe Rogan, who had the #1 most-listened to podcast globally on Spotify in 2021, responded on his podcast to the video compilation of him using the N-word, saying bluntly, “This is a political hit job.”

“Last Friday, Spotify pulled 70 episodes of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience from its platform, dating from 2009 to 2018, which the streamer said it did at the request of Rogan and his team. That came after singer India Arie last week said she was pulling her music and podcasts off Spotify, citing Rogan’s ‘language around race’; she reposted a video on Instagram compiling 24 times Rogan used the N-word on his podcast, and the resurfaced clip soon went viral,” Variety reported.

Speaking with his guest, comedian Akaash Singh, Rogan asserted, “In a lot of ways, all this is a relief, ’cause that video had always been out there. It’s like, this is a political hit job. And so they’re taking all this stuff that I’ve ever said that’s  wrong, and smushing it all together. But it’s good ’cause it makes me address some s*** that I really wish wasn’t out there.”