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World-renowned podcaster and famed UFC color commentator Joe Rogan recently told the mainstream media it “feels gross” to be accepting a $100 million payout from Spotify during a global pandemic, especially when so many people are out of work.
I know exactly how he feels.
Last night I felt super gross while shoveling in my third homemade cannoli from Cipolli’s in Collingswood, particularly with so many starving people in the world. But I greedily choked down every last bite because I’m American and that’s kinda what we do.
“Like, it doesn’t register. Seems fake,” Rogan recently told The New York Times about becoming “weirdly richer” just a few months ahead of his 53rd birthday. “It feels gross. Especially right now, when people can’t work.”
The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down by closing businesses and shutting down entire industries to help prevent the rapid spread of the respiratory disease. As a result, millions of people were left unemployed and scrambling for relief.
Rogan was already king of the podcasts, pulling in an estimated $30 million for his “Joe Rogan Experience” on YouTube (more on that here). It would probably feel less gross if the former Fear Factor host donated some of that money to help the less fortunate, but that decision is his and his alone.
While we’re on the topic of charity and goodwill, perhaps Rogan can loan UFC President Dana White a few extra bills to pay for this proposed super fight?