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Rolling Stone magazine has officially condemned comments made by co-founder Jann Wenner that appeared to insult Black and female musicians.
In an interview published last week by The New York Times to promote his new book, “The Masters,” Wenner said he only included interviews with white male musicians, such as Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and Bono, because he didn’t think women or Black musicians fit his definition of ”a philosopher of rock ’n’ roll.”
The comments led to Wenner’s removal from the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which he co-founded.
On Monday, Rolling Stone posted a statement on Twitter, formerly known as X, criticizing Wenner’s comments in an attempt to separate the magazine from the man who co-founded it with music critic Ralph J. Gleason in 1967. Wenner left in 2019.
“Jann Wenner’s recent statements to the New York Times do not represent the value and practices of today’s Rolling Stone,” the publication said in its tweet, adding that “Jann Wenner has not been directly involved in our operations since 2019.”
In addition, the statement said that the magazine’s purpose since Wenner left four years ago “has been to tell stories that reflect the diversity of voices and experiences that shape our world.”
The statement attempted to separate Wenner from the publication but failed to note that his son, Gus Wenner, is the CEO.
A Rolling Stone article about Wenner’s removal from the Rock Hall Foundation did note at the bottom that “Gus Wenner is the CEO of the magazine” and that Jann Wenner remains an editorial director of Wenner Media, of which PMC, the parent company of Rolling Stone, has a controlling interest.
