Spotify users will no longer hear recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the popular music streaming service confirmed that the advertising campaign ended last year.
In a statement to Variety, a Spotify spokesperson said, “The advertisements mentioned were part of a U.S. government recruitment campaign that ran across all major media and platforms.” The statement came shortly after last week’s fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a Minnesota woman, in what ICE and the U.S. government, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, are calling self-defense.
Rolling Stone previously reported that the Department of Homeland Security paid Spotify $74,000 for the ad space. The ads reportedly offered $50,000 in signing bonuses. Users who pay for Spotify Premium do not hear advertisements when listening to music, though they may still receive ads while listening to podcasts.
Spotify confirms that they are no longer running ICE recruitment ads.
Last October, the company faced backlash for running ICE recruitment ads after receiving $74,000 from the Department of Homeland Security to promote the Trump’s plan to hire 10,000 new deportation officers by… pic.twitter.com/4M7l4HGg0K
— Variety (@Variety) January 8, 2026
The Indivisible Project, a nonprofit that says it takes “regular, iterative, and increasingly complex actions” to fight the Trump Administration, launched a “Spotify Unwrapped” boycott in December. The nonprofit previously called for a boycott of Spotify until it stopped the ICE ads.
“This advertisement is part of a broad campaign the U.S. government is running across television, streaming, and online channels,” Spotify told Newsweek in October. “The content does not violate our advertising policies. However, users can mark any ad with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to help manage their ads preferences.”
As of publication, Indivisible had not issued a response to Spotify’s latest clarification.
OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis criticized the company, calling the move an “absolutely insane decision” in an X post that had over 1.2 million views as of publication.
“How many Trump voters listen to Spotify?” Travis wrote. “I can’t believe brands are still this insanely dumb.”
So @Spotify is now refusing to run ICE ads. Absolutely insane decision. How many Trump voters listen to Spotify? I can’t believe brands are still this insanely dumb.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 10, 2026
X users had mixed responses to Travis’ post and the overall story. Some shared pictures showing that they had already unsubscribed, while others mocked ICE for feeling that it needed to recruit via audio campaigns.
“Brands keep acting shocked when taking political stances blows up in their face,” read one X comment. “Spotify blocking ICE ads is wild considering how many of their users lean the other way. Some companies love learning the hard way.”
Founded in Sweden in 2006, Spotify is among the most popular audio streaming platforms. The company boasted that it had more than 700 million listeners in 2025, with Bad Bunny — who will play at the Super Bowl in February — finishing the year as the app’s top artist globally with 19.8 billion streams. Taylor Swift (who placed second worldwide but first in the U.S.), The Weeknd, Drake, and Billie Eilish rounded out the top five.
