Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner has been removed from the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Board of Directors over controversial comments he made in an interview last week.
In the interview published by the New York Times last Friday, Wenner said, "In so far as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level" of the white male musicians featured in his new book of interviews, "The Masters."
"Jann Wenner has been removed from the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation," the foundation said in a one-line statement last Saturday.
Later in the day, Wenner issued an apology through his publisher Little, Brown and Company. It reads, "In my interview with The New York Times I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks."
"I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences," he adds.
Rolling Stone responded to Wenner's comments in a statement posted on X, saying, "Jann Wenner's recent statements to the New York Times do not represent the values and practices of today's Rolling Stone."
(Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Entertainment News
April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.