A dozen former women staffers at Rolling Stonehave spoken out about their experiences working under co-founder Jann Wenner, telling writer Marisa Kabas, who publishes a Substack called The Handbasket, that the office environment was “a horrible place for women” because it was built on a work culture of “palpable fear.” One described it as like “an abusive family relationship” due to being frequently subjected to meltdowns from men. The women claimed their opinions weren’t considered in editorial decisions and they had no chance of promotions. One recalled that there was an “old school” mindset from male editors and compared it to the TV series Mad Men. Wenner was recently booted from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame board for saying that female and Black artists weren’t “articulate enough” to be featured in his book of interviews entitled The Masters. The former staffers weren’t surprised by that remark, saying, “that’s 100% him” and “he said the quiet part out loud.” Penske Media Corporation, the owners of Rolling Stone, did not respond to The Handbasket’s request for comment. The mag previously disavowed Wenner’s comments and said he “has not been directly involved in our operations since 2019.” A note published online Tuesday further explained where the outlet stood in the wake of the “offensive comments.”
