Andrew Yang tweets Joe Rogan is 'not racist,' before deleting it because it 'hurt people'

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Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang defended Joe Rogan in a tweet Sunday afternoon, claiming he is not racist, after a video compilation of the podcast host repeatedly using the N-word surfaced this week.

"I don’t think Joe Rogan is a racist - the man interacts with and works with black people literally all of the time," Yang said in the since-deleted tweet against criticism Rogan is receiving, the Hill reported.

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"Do I know black friends of Joe's who would swear by him? Yes I do," he added, according to the report.

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang arrives to an early voting site before casting his vote, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Yang, who was a guest on "The Joe Rogan Experience" in 2019, explained in a series of subsequent tweets that he deleted the post because it "hurt people." He did not mention Rogan by name.

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"I like to believe the best of people - especially if I’ve met and spent time with that person," Yang tweeted. "Sometimes it makes me miss something. I think we should have the capacity to forgive people - whether a podcaster or a mayor - if they mess up. Maybe it’s because I mess up too."

"I deleted the tweet because it was wrong-headed. It also hurt people, which is never my intent. I’m sorry. I’m learning and appreciate those who reached out to express their feelings," he added.

In another tweet, Yang suggested people should not be held accountable for statements they made in the past. He did not mention Rogan by name.

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"We should have a statute of limitations on statements," he cryptically tweeted.

Rogan has since issued an apology for the language and has deleted many of his "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast episodes from Spotify, whose CEO said the company will not be "silencing" Rogan over the controversy.

Liberal pundits have urged the streaming platform for take action against "misinformation" spread by Joe Rogan.  (YouTube/Screenshot)

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"There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you," Spotify Technology SA Chief Executive Daniel Ek said in a memo sent to employees on Sunday, which was also provided to Fox News Digital. "I think it’s important you’re aware that we’ve had conversations with Joe and his team about some of the content in his show, including his history of using some racially insensitive language."

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Rogan also took to Instagram Friday evening where he apologized and defended himself, expressing his "deepest, sincerest" apologies. He also called his comments "regretful and shameful."