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
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.