COVID-19 vaccine

Ice Cube Popped Up On Tucker Carlson’s Show And Explained Why He Rejected The COVID-19 Vaccine

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Ice Cube Room Service Tour With Cypress Hill 2023
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Tucker Carlson’s Twitter show drew a non-trivial amount of eyeballs when it debuted in June, but viewership numbers have been dwindling since then. Still, he presses on, and on his latest episode shared yesterday (July 26), he was joined by Ice Cube, and the pair spent about a quarter of the 12-minute episode talking about the COVID-19 vaccine, specifically about why the rapper didn’t get it.

Carlson asked why Ice didn’t take the vaccine, noting he had “a direct order” to do so, and the rapper responded, “Yeah, I’m not real good with direct orders. […] No, it wasn’t ready. You know, it was six-month kind of rush job and I didn’t feel safe.”

Carlson jumped in, “But they told you you were safe,” and Ice responded, “I know what they said [laughs]. I know what they said, and I heard them. I heard them loud and clear, but it’s not their decision. There’s no repercussions if they’re wrong, but I can get all the repercussions if they’re wrong.”

The host then asked if it was a tough choice for Ice to make and he said, “No, it wasn’t a tough call. I wanted to be an example for my kids, really make sure they wouldn’t take it either, show them that I want to stand on my convictions and that I was willing to lose $9 million and more because we’ve probably lost more since then.”

The part about losing $9 million refers to what he said in a 2022 interview: “I turned down a movie because I didn’t want to get the motherf*cking jab. I turned down $9 million. I didn’t want get the jab. F*ck that jab. F*ck ya’ll for trying to make me get it. I don’t know how Hollywood feels about me right now.”

Elsewhere in the Carlson conversation, Ice noted he never intended for his vaccination status to be a matter of public concern, saying, “I never told anyone not to get vaccinated publicly. That was never my message to the world. I didn’t even want people to know whether I got vaccinated or not. I was pretty upset that that even came out, because I was just gonna quietly, you know, just not take it and deal with the consequences as they came.”

Carlson, for the record, proudly proclaimed he didn’t get the vaccine either: When Ice asked if he got the jab, the host exclaimed, “Of course not!”

Find the full episode of Carlson’s show here.

Joe Rogan threatens to leave Spotify over censorship concerns

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Joe Rogan

He may be one of the highest podcast hosts in the world, but Joe Rogan is also one of the most controversial. This week, he doubled down on his right to free and uncensored speech when he told his listeners that he would rather walk away from his lucrative $200 million Spotify deal than acquiesce to censorship.

Rogan’s issues stem from the controversial comments that he has made on his popular podcast in the past, specifically with regard to hot button social issues and Covid-19 vaccination misinformation (Rogan has expressed skepticism about the vaccine and criticized vaccine requirements). Rogan’s presence on Spotify caused several high-profile artists such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to pull their content from the streaming platform. Earlier this year, a group of 270 doctors and scientists sent an open letter to Spotify in which they accused Rogan of peddling misinformation, calling him a ‘menace to public health.’ This led Spotify to add a disclaimer to Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.

Rogan has also made many other controversial comments regarding transgender and racial issues, even using the n-word in the past, although he has expressed remorse, describing it as ‘the most regretful and shameful thing I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.’

On Tuesday, Rogan addressed his relationship with Spotify during an interview with MMA fighter Josh Barnett, saying “‘If I become something different because it grew bigger, I will quit. If it gets to a point that I can’t do it anymore, where I have to do it in some sort of weird way where I walk on eggshells and mind my p’s and q’s, f*** that!”

The conversation stemmed from Rogan’s musing that his critics would “go through every single one of his statements with a fine-tooth comb” in order to look for something to be offended about.

As of Wednesday evening, Spotify had not publicly addressed Rogan’s statements.

The post Joe Rogan threatens to leave Spotify over censorship concerns appeared first on The Source.

LA Will Now Require Proof Of COVID Vaccination At Every Indoor Concert

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Over the past few months, several touring musicians and concert promoters began requiring patrons to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before entry in recent months, and the city of LA is now following suit. On Thursday, the LA City Council announced indoor entertainment businesses everywhere, including movie theaters, concert venues, restaurants, bars, gyms, shopping centers, and sports event centers, will be legally required to have their patrons show proof of vaccination before stepping indoors.

According to a report from Deadline, the ordinance was passed with 11 “ayes” and two “nays” in the City Council, and it will officially go into effect on November 4. Those with medical or religious exemptions can still enter businesses, but they will have to provide a recent negative COVID test instead. Businesses that don’t comply with the ordinance will be punished with a fine. The first infraction will result in an official notice from the city, the second infraction will result in a fine of $1,000, the third will have a fine of $2,000, and any further infractions will each result in a $5,000 fine.

Speaking about LA’s decision to require proof of vaccination, City Council President Nury Martinez said, “No one will force you to get a vaccine, but if you decide not to get one, there are certain things you will not be able to do.” She continued, “This is no longer negotiable, the stakes are too high.”