Ted Nugent Doesn’t Agree With Jann Wenner’s ‘Racist + Misogynistic’ Remarks

Ted Nugent has spoken out after the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this week removed Jann Wenner, the co-founder of both the Rock Hall and Rolling Stone magazine, from its board of directors following recent comments Wenner made about the exclusion of women and Black musicians from his new book of rock star interviews, The Masters.

To The New York Times last week, Wenner repugnantly alleged that neither women nor Black artists "articulate" themselves well enough for inclusion. ("I suppose when you use a word as broad as 'masters,' the fault is using that word," Wenner said. "Maybe Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn't articulate at that level.") Wenner has since apologized for his remarks.

Subsequently, on Monday's (Sept. 18) The Nightly Nuge, Nugent's online talk show, the veteran rock musician who sang 1977's "Cat Scratch Fever" and now has strong ties to former President Trump, transphobia and gun ownership condemned Wenner and praised the contributions of Black musicians throughout history. Nugent categorically called Wenner's words "racist and misogynistic."

READ MORE: Ted Nugent Announces His Final Concerts, Calling the Tour 'Adios, Mofos'

Talking to co-host Keith Mark, Nugent said, "I'm merely a humble servant of evidence, truth, logic, and common sense. And Jann Wenner created Rolling Stone magazine to celebrate the greatest soundtrack in the history of the world, as created by Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and Little Richard — an extension of the Black artists who had such an emotional dream of freedom and defied the shackles of slavery and created this soulful, emotional, powerful, defiant, uppity, spirited, work-ethic-oriented soundtrack — the blues, gospel, rhythm and blues, then rock 'n' roll."

Ted Nugent on Jann Wenner

Nugent continued, "Jann Wenner righteously and wonderfully created Rolling Stone magazine to celebrate the artists that are never — we've never been given credit except by me, and us here at Nightly Nuge … that the music that touches our soul came from Black heroes who had more soul because they had to get out of the curse of slavery and celebrate freedom musically."

Elsewhere in the conversation, Nugent observed that Wenner was removed from the Rock Hall board "because of racist and misogynistic attacks that said that Black and female artists are not articulate enough to reference in his book about rock and roll history — which is so clearly biased and so clearly racist and so clearly misogynistic. And those are the things that he has always accused me of."

Nugent's History With Wenner

Indeed, Nugent has a contentious history with Wenner — the musician has previously criticized both Wenner and Rolling Stone. Nugent seems to think Wenner has kept him from Rock Hall induction.

In a 2017 radio interview, Nugent said, "So, I'm on the board of directors of the NRA. Jann Wenner hates the Second Amendment, so that's the only reason I'm not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."

Watch Monday's Nightly Nuge below. Nugent speaks on Wenner at five minutes into the clip.

Want more rock and metal news delivered to you? Make sure to sign up for the Loudwire newsletter and download the Loudwire app for all that and more straight to your inbox and phone.

The Nightly Nuge - Sept. 18, 2023