Jann Wenner Breaks Silence After Controversial Comments & Removal From Rock & Roll Board

The Rolling Stones co-founder and now-former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Board of Directors member Jann Wenner broke his silence following his controversial comments about black and female musicians.

Wenner promoted his new book, "The Masters," during his recent interview with The New York Times (via Consequence). His supposed promotion led to his urgent downfall following his downgrading statements against black and female musicians.

Jann Wenner Apologizes After Comments

On Saturday night, Wenner's book publisher sent his apology statement to The New York Times where the magazine magnate admitted to making comments that affected Black and women artists.

"The Masters is a collection of interviews I've done over the years that seemed to me to best represent an idea of rock 'n' roll's impact on my world," he explained. "...they were not meant to represent the whole of music and its diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews I felt illustrated the breadth and experience in that career."

Wenner deeply apologized for the "badly chosen words" he made and assured everyone he would accept the consequences, which already included his removal from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's board of directors.

The president and chief executive of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, Joel Peresman, issued a separate statement to the news outlet (via CNN) on Saturday to confirm his removal from the board of directors.

What Jann Wenner Said

Wenner's recent controversy started when The New York Times asked him how he chose the musicians to feature in his book.

"It was kind of intuitive over the years; it just fell together that way," he revealed. "The people had to meet a couple of criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level."

His book only features seven white men: Pete Townshend, Mick Jagger, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, Bono, John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen.

He also named several female musicians in the interview, including Joni Mitchell, who - for him - was reportedly not a philosopher of rock and roll as the female singer "did not meet that test."

Wenner then mentioned Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, who reportedly did not articulate at the "masters" level.