Spotify axes controversial podcast after host 'violated hate speech rules'
Spotify has made a major move by permanently removing a popular political podcast, after its host reportedly violated the platform's hate speech policies several years ago.
Podcasts have become one of the dominant forms of media in the 21st century, as countless celebrities, comedians, and political figures have either appeared on a popular show or host one of their own.
Figures like Joe Rogan have played a key role in the last US election, and podcasts have become one of the new ways that people communicate and discuss political ideas on the internet.
While there are many different podcast platforms to choose from, Spotify is undoubtedly one of the most popular and what many choose to listen from — especially as it has signed a number of exclusivity contracts with high-profile names.
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However, Spotify has recently taken down and permanently removed one particularly popular podcast from its services, citing hate speech violations that its host broke back in 2020.
As reported by the New York Post, the 'America First' podcast hosted by far-right Christian nationalist Nick Fuentes has once against been targeted by Spotify leadership following numerous attempts by fans of the show to re-upload episodes to the streaming platform.
Fuentes' show was initially removed back in 2020 following "repeated violations of [Spotify's] Platform Rules," which prohibit any content "which incites hatred towards a person or group of people based on race or religion."
Both Fuentes and his viewership – which refer to themselves as 'groypers' – have been repeatedly accused of spreading white supremacist, racist, antisemitic, and far-right views, so it's not hard to understand how the podcast breached Spotify's rules.
However, the ban was exclusively for the 'content' produced as opposed to the individual that was producing it, meaning that while the 'America First' show remains permanently ineligible to be hosted on Spotify's platforms, there's nothing necessarily stopping Fuentes from appearing on another podcast, or starting a new show, although it likely wouldn't take long before that was banned as well.
Fans have since been trying to upload 'bootleg' episodes of 'America First' to Spotify in an attempt to circumvent the ban, but Spotify has identified these attempts and removed all of the uploaded content.
Spotify isn't alone in this though, as both Apple Podcasts and YouTube have similarly permanently removed 'America First' over its far-right hate speech, and Fuentes has also been banned on a number of social media platforms.