Jian Ghomeshi, the former CBC Radio broadcaster slipped back into the public spotlight with an announcement about his new music and podcast series, but this creative adventure is already facing problems.
A day after the ex-CBC personality revealed The Ideation Project, a new podcast which tackles world citizenship and the loss of homelands, his quiet comeback attempt received an onslaught of backlash on social media.
This reaction comes a year after Ghomeshi was acquitted of sexual assault charges involving multiple female complainants in a high-profile criminal case.
“You should admit to your crimes, apologize and go away,” wrote one Twitter user in response to Ghomeshi’s link to the new podcast.
Another critic posted, "This 'nothings's different, carry on' routine ain't gonna fly."
This resulted in one company’s decision to step away from the series.
A San Francisco-based software company, Art19, was an audio host which feed the podcast for distribution on iTunes.
After receiving a barrage of hate for its perceived support and association with Ghomeshi’s new project, it suspended its hosting role on Tuesday.
“This show was placed on our platform without our awareness yesterday,” said Roddy Swearngin, a spokesperson for Art19. “After receiving complaints, we suspended it.”
The company also tried to distance itself from the former host of the radio show Q, saying “we are a software company and play no role in the creation or curation of content. We just offer tools for publishers to distribute and monetize their podcasts.”
Matt Earle, a representative for Ghomeshi told CTV News Toronto that Art19’s decision to cut ties had no effect on the project.
“[Art19] caved under online pressure,” Earle said.
The Ideation Project is still available through Sound Cloud, he says.
According to Earle, Ghomeshi began the project about a year ago and has had some help from friends in the industry. And while the podcasts and music tracks are free now, he expected there may one day be ads on the YouTube channel.
As for financial backers, Earle said it was funded "primarily directly from him."
