Findings
| When | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1984-1991 | Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman began a relationship with Mandy Smith after meeting her when she was 13. Smith said they had sex when she was 14, and Wyman later described meeting her at 13 in his autobiography. Wyman was 47 when they met, while Smith was 13. They married in 1989, when Smith was 18, and divorced two years later. | Source |
| Several Rolling Stones songs have drawn substantial criticism for their treatment of women and racial stereotypes. For example, "Under My Thumb" depicts a woman being brought under the narrator's control and describes her as a pet. Mick Jagger later said it was a caricature. | Source | |
| The song "Brown Sugar" references slavery, sexual exploitation and violence against enslaved Black women. The band continued performing it for decades, including as recently as 2019. In 2021, the band removed it from their US tour setlist. Jagger said he would not write the song in the same way today, while Keith Richards maintained that it was about the horrors of slavery and expressed a desire to perform it again. | Source | |
| 2009 | Ronnie Wood was arrested following a domestic incident involving his then-girlfriend Ekaterina Ivanova. Police subsequently cautioned him for common assault. | Source |
| Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones subjected his then-partner Anita Pallenberg to physical abuse during their relationship. Accounts describe Jones as increasingly abusive, particularly when drinking, with violence occurring on multiple occasions. During a 1967 trip to Morocco, Keith Richards witnessed Jones beating Pallenberg and intervened, after which Pallenberg left Jones and went with Richards. Richards later described Jones punching Pallenberg and throwing knives and glass at her, with Pallenberg at times barricading herself behind furniture. Pallenberg also acknowledged that their relationship involved physical fighting and that she fought back against Jones's violence. | Source | |
| 2016 | Mick Jagger and Keith Richards waived their royalties from a charity recording of "You Can't Always Get What You Want", with proceeds going to the Jo Cox Foundation. The Jo Cox Foundation makes meaningful change on issues that the late Jo Cox MP was passionate about. | Source |
| 2020 | The band participated in the global benefit event supporting healthcare workers and the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. | Source |
| Since 1991 | organisation working to protect Africa's wildlife and natural habitats. He became Tusk's first ambassador and has contributed artwork and other fundraising support to the organisation's conservation work. | Source |
| 2008 | The band donated “Gimme Shelter” for a UNHCR campaign supporting displaced Congolese civilians. The campaign sought $23 million for clean water and emergency humanitarian supplies. | Source |
| 2012 | The band performed at the 2012 12-12-12 benefit for Hurricane Sandy victims. The event's proceeds went to the Robin Hood Relief Fund, and the concert ultimately generated about $50 million, which was distributed to relief organizations. | Source |
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