Russell Brand, the popular British comedian, actor and commentator, recently made an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. The podcast, which is known for its long-form conversations on a wide range of topics, touched on YouTube’s censorship, how creators can’t trust YouTube, and the growth of the alternative video platform Rumble.
Brand talked about how, when using YouTube as a primary platform, videos were often censored or demonetized. Brand described trying to avoid getting demonetized on YouTube as “algebra.” “You changed this word, you changed that word. You have to order it. You have, there’s certain things,” Brand said.
“They’re running a business,” Rogan responded. “I understand from their perspective. Of course, you know, they’re running a business; they have advertisers. I understand them from their perspective, but from a content creation perspective: you just couldn’t trust them.”
Brand praised rival platform Rumble for offering him a place to broadcast his show without censorship. “This is what Rumble fundamentally offered. They gave me a good deal and the assurance that we are not gonna censor you,” Brand said.
“Now, obviously, coming from where I come from politically and in terms of my background, even as a person that’s been in the public for a while, I’m like, I, I know how Rumble’s being portrayed,” Brand continued. “It’s been portrayed as right wing, far right place. Conspiracy theorist!”
“Yeah, you and Glenn Greenwald,” Rogan laughed. “It’s nuts what people call…it’s just anything alternative to the censorship model they’ll talk of as right wing.”
