Jemele Hill Pushes Back on Wanting Joe Rogan Money Amid Spotify Exit

Jemele Hill denies that an alleged demand for Joe Rogan-level money from Spotify is the reason for her exit from the audio giant … although, it seems clear she is, in fact, leaving.

The longtime sports reporter/media personality is said to be negotiating a split from Spotify, where she’s exclusively hosted her all-issues podcast — ‘Jemele Hill is Unbothered’ — since 2019. Several outlets are reporting that she’s now seeking a new home for her show.

Jemele’s ‘Unbothered’ podcast network — which features other Black podcasters — is also shuttering. Reports say Spotify might let her out of her deal early, or simply let it lapse.

Now, for the controversy … a conservative outlet, Outkick, framed this parting of ways as Jemele getting the boot after “daring the company to pay her or another black host $100 million” … the same way they’d paid Joe for an exclusive deal (it turned out to be $200M).

If you read the article, you come to find out that the writer is referencing an old quote she gave the NYT last year about Joe’s big contract, in which she said … “What I would like to see is for them to hand $100 million to somebody who is Black.” The way Outkick and other right-wing sites are reporting this is … Jemele asked for that $100 mil, and was told no.

Well, she’s pushing back on that … taking to Twitter to bat down any notion that she gave Spotify an ultimatum, especially one that pit her against Joe. Of course, her quote from 2022 has clearly been taken out of context … and she’s setting the record straight on what’s what.

Jemele says, “People: A lot of what’s been reported just isn’t true. My podcast hasn’t been cancelled. I never asked Spotify for $100M. This s*** is truly comical.”

She goes on to say her podcast, for now, will continue — adding … “Next week’s guest is: Sabrina Elba. In the coming weeks: Blair Underwood, Kasi Lemmons, JR Smith, Kenny Latimore and more.” Finally, she says … “When I have something to say, I’ll say it.”

Jemele also clarified further in a back-and-forth on Twitter with someone who was pointing out the quote to her, to which she responded … “You should probably comprehend better, or maybe read the original piece — which was about me wanting to see Spotify make that investment in prominent Black podcasters. I never told Spotify or the NYT, that I deserved  $100M. My deal at Spotify is pretty fair. This was about investment and growth.”