Jann Wenner, co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine, has been ousted from the board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation following controversial comments made in an interview with The New York Times. The foundation, responsible for inducting artists into the hall of fame and overseeing the affiliated museum in Cleveland, released a brief statement on Saturday announcing Wenner’s removal.
The decision to remove Wenner comes after an interview in The Times, coinciding with the release of his new book, where he was asked about the absence of women and people of color in his collection of interviews with rock legends. Wenner responded by stating that no women were “articulate enough on this intellectual level” and described Joni Mitchell as “not a philosopher of rock ‘n’ roll.” Regarding artists of color, he stated that they simply “didn’t articulate at that level.”
These comments drew immediate backlash, with social media users mocking his quotes and calling attention to past criticism of Rolling Stone’s coverage of female artists. Author Joe Hagan, who published a critical biography of Wenner in 2017, referenced a 1970 comment by feminist critic Ellen Willis, who described the magazine as “viciously anti-woman.”
Wenner, who founded Rolling Stone in 1967, played a significant role in making it the leading music magazine of its time. He sold the magazine in a series of transactions completed in 2020 but officially left in 2019. Wenner was also part of the group that established the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in 1983 and was inducted himself in 2004.
The Rock Hall has faced criticism for its lack of diversity and representation over the years. As of 2019, only 7.7 percent of inductees were women. However, recent changes have been praised, with the newest class of inductees including women like Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, and Missy Elliott, as well as artists such as George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, and the Spinners.
Wenner has yet to respond to the news of his removal from the board of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.