Spotify removes Pete Evans’ podcast over violation of standards

Publicity hound, former TV presenter and conspiracy charlatan Pete Evans has had his podcast removed from Spotify.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Evans has been attracting headlines for his dangerous conspiracy theories and apparent sympathies for the Trump administration in the US, even as it descends into chaos and a failed coup attempt.

In recent months, he courted criticism for posting neo-Nazi symbols on Facebook as well as questioning mask wearing and the COVID-19 vaccine.

Last year, he was also fined $25,200 for alleged breaches of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 for promoting a ‘BioCharger’ device which he claimed could be used in relation to the “Wuhan Coronavirus”. The device had a $14,900 price tag, with consumers promised it could “optimise and improve potential health, wellness and athletic performance”. Evans’ claims are unproven.

Now, Spotify has drawn a line in the sand, removing his podcast from the platform.

“Spotify prohibits content on the platform which promotes dangerous false, deceptive, or misleading content about COVID-19 that may cause offline harm and/or pose a direct threat to public health. When content that violates this standard is identified, it is removed from the platform,” a Spotify spokesperson told Radio Today in relation to the removal.

The removal isn’t necessarily a blow for the former media star, with Evans using the moment to make more claims about big tech, conspiracies and even child porn. Every time a company takes action such as this, Evans acknowledged it helps his posts reach an even larger audience.

Facebook has removed Evans over his COVID-19 misinformation, and shops including Kmart and Target have stopped stocking his cookbooks. Pan Macmillan also ended its contractual relationship with Evans.

The podcast remains available on some other platforms.

The global death-toll from COVID-19 is currently estimated to be over 1.9 million.