NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Andrew Yang, a former New York City mayoral candidate, has apologized after tweeting, then deleting his comments defending Joe Rogan, claiming the podcast host isn't racist on Sunday.
"I don't think Joe Rogan is a racist — the man interacts with and works with black people literally all of the time," Yang said.
"Do I know black friends of Joe's who would swear by him? Yes I do," he continued.
However, the former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, who left the party last year, deleted those tweets and apologized early Monday.
"I think we should have the capacity to forgive people — whether a podcaster or a mayor — if they mess up. Maybe it's because I mess up too."
For several weeks, Rogan, 54, has been under fire for allegedly spreading COVID-19 misinformation on his podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience."
Several artists, including Neil Young, Joni Mitchell as well as Crosby Stills Nash & Young, have quit Spotify over the streaming service's inaction.
Rogan also apologized on Saturday for his repeated use of racial slurs in several past episodes of his podcast.
"There's been a lot of s--- from the old episodes of the podcast that I wish I hadn't said, or had said differently," Rogan said in an Instagram video.
"There's nothing I can do to take that back. I wish I could. Obviously, that's not possible," he added. "I certainly wasn't trying to be racist, and I certainly wouldnever want to offend someone for entertainment with something as stupid as racism."
Spotify has removed over 70 episodes because of his use of the N-word, and CEO Daniel Ek called it "incredibly hurtful."
However, Ek said he did not believe "that silencing Joe is the answer," adding that Rogan made the decision to pull the episodes.
"We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope," he wrote in staff memo. "Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress."
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