Ex-UFC Veteran Kevin Lee has shared his dislike for the surge of negativity against Joe Rogan in the media.
Lee will debut at Eagle FC on March 11 against Diego Sanchez in a catchweight bout. The match follows his recent, sudden release from the UFC.
There were some hardships that led up to Lee's release from the promotion. USADA gave him a 6-month suspension for the use of Adderall weeks prior. In addition, leading up to the end of his UFC career, he took home only one victory in his last 5 fights. The losses brought some uncertainty to his future with the promotion.
And like every other fighter in any promotion, with a loss comes criticism and hate from the public.
It is a cold world. Trolls on social media tried to tear him down after every defeat. So Kevin Lee may know, through experience, how Joe Rogan feels at the moment.
Following accusations of spreading COVID-19 misinformation on his podcast and videos showing him using racially insensitive language, many have called for The Joe Rogan Experience to be shut down and taken off of Spotify.
In Rogan's defense, he claims his words were taken out of context. Kevin Lee admits to having a similar experience because social media has also misconstrued his words in the past as well.
“Sometimes I hate being on social media. Sometimes I hate communicating with people because it can always be taken out of context. So it’s like, maybe I should just do actions and not say anything. Even though that’s not where we want to be either. You got a voice, it’s worth something. It’s not always worth something bad, especially if you don’t have no ill intention behind it," Lee explained in an interview with Middle Easy.
Joe Rogan Vs. "Cancel Culture"
Times are rough for Joe Rogan at the moment, and it doesn't help that his podcast also has long-standing accusations of transphobic comments and spreading misinformation about the community.
No matter how much Joe Rogan apologizes for certain behaviors, it seems much of the public cannot be pleased. And Kevin Lee, among others, has spoken out in his defense.
Lee blames the "culture" for the negative spotlight on Rogan.
“One day maybe we’ll figure out a way to solve these types of issues. But one thing we can’t do is turn our back on each other, even when you do like make little mistakes or slip up. That comes in everybody’s life. At some point, I’m going to say some dumb sh*t. I have said some dumb sh*t. It’s real easy for people to write people off. I think that’s just a f*cked up way to be. It’s just a f*cked up culture,” Lee continued to say.
"Cancel culture" has taken aim at the careers of many. One prime example is Gina Carrano, who claims she was 'canceled' when she was removed from LucasFilm after using social media to voice some of her political opinions.
Many UFC fans missed Joe Rogan at UFC 271. And according to Dana White, he could have been there.
The absence produced many questions and sparked a debate: Was it because of scheduling conflicts, or is the recent controversy at fault?
What are your thoughts on Kevin Lee's opinion of the Joe Rogan controversy?