What did Andrew Yang say about Joe Rogan? Former Democratic presidential candidate's deleted tweet sparks furor online

Andrew Yang and Joe Rogan (Image via Win McNamee/Getty Images, and Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images)

On February 6, businessman and former 2020 democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang found himself in hot water after he defended Joe Rogan amidst racist allegations against the latter. In the tweet, which has since been deleted, Yang disclosed that he does not believe the podcaster was racist.

Since then, the New York native has deleted the tweet and tweeted multiple times to apologize for not acknowledging Rogan’s alleged racist tendencies over the use of racial slurs.

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Andrew Yang’s comments on Joe Rogan’s controversial usage the ‘N-word’

The 47-year-old political candidate’s statement came after Rogan was heavily criticized for his usage of the ‘n-word’ in his podcasts. Yang’s deleted tweet was captured in Britni Danielle's tweet below

Following his tweet on Rogan, the former presidential candidate received much flak over his opinion. Later, Yang tweeted out an apology with a lengthy explanation.

He talked about how the tweet had been a mistake, and apologized to everyone for hurting their sentiments.

Yang further admitted that he had downplayed the “realities” of racism. The Brown University alum also talked the capacity to forgive.

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Twitter users left baffled by Andrew Yang’s defence for Joe Rogan’s alleged racist slur

A plethora of netizens were offended by Yang’s comment about Rogan. Many claimed that the 47-year-old trivialized Rogan’s usage of the ‘N-word’ in his JRE podcast.

On the other hand, numerous people pointed out that Joe Rogan’s interaction and work with members of the African-American community was proof enough for him not being a racist.

This ultimately led to a severe backlash. However, as usual, Yang’s opinion in the deleted post spawned several memes and comparisons to slave ownership by “white” Americans. Many renowned personalities also took to Twitter to criticize Yang. DNC-chair Jaime Harrison said:

“Dude… seriously?! You joking right Andrew?...”

Meanwhile, actor George Takei enquired whether Andrew Yang was being sarcastic with his comment. Podcast host Rogan has already apologized for his usage of the racial slur amidst the controversy and claimed that he did not use the slur in a racist context.