Shirley Halperin is departing The Hollywood Reporter to become co-editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone — the first woman to fill that role in the brand’s 60-year legacy. Maer Roshan, THR’s co-editor, is staying on as the magazine’s sole editor-in-chief.
Halperin, a veteran music journalist and editor, will lead Rolling Stone’s music coverage alongside Sean Woods, the title’s longtime executive editor, who is being promoted to co-editor-in-chief. Halperin starts her new role on Sept. 1, serving as both co-editor-in-chief and head of music, and will split her time between New York and Los Angeles. Woods, who will step into his new role effective immediately, will remain based in the brand’s New York headquarters. The duo will work closely with Rolling Stone’s recently appointed CEO, Julian Holguin, to shape the brand’s editorial direction.
“Sean and Shirley are unmatched in their expertise and passion for storytelling, and their partnership will play a pivotal role in shaping Rolling Stone’s future,” said Holguin. “Both bring exceptional vision and a deep understanding of the brand’s legacy. Their leadership will continue to drive the world-class journalism and culture-shaping conversations that Rolling Stone’s audience has come to expect.”
Halperin brings more than two decades of experience in entertainment and music journalism to the new role, having held leadership roles at Variety, Billboard and Los Angeles Magazine. During her 10-monthtenureat THR, she played a key role in shaping the magazine’s music coverage.
“I’m very proud — personally and professionally — to help usher in the next era of the world’s most formidable music brand as its first female editor-in-chief,” Halperin said of her new role. “And to share the title and work shoulder-to-shoulder with Sean Woods, who has steered Rolling Stone’s editorial and fortified its place as a leader in journalism over the last two decades, is an added honor. I’m excited to see Julian’s vision for Rolling Stone come to life and to continue this legacy brand’s culture-shifting, conversation-sparking, music-loving ethos in a new media landscape that’s ripe for innovation and disruption.”
Halperin first came to The Hollywood Reporter in 2010, writing the last cover story of its broadsheet format and serving on the relaunch team. During her seven-year tenure, she took on a refresh of sister publication Billboard, coming aboard as news director in 2014 and helping launch such franchises as the year-end No. 1s issue. In 2017, Halperin joined Variety as executive editor, music, and set in motion a series of new initiatives in the space, including the annual Hitmakers event, the Music Mogul of the Year issue and the Music for Screens summit. She’s written cover stories on some of the biggest stars in music, including Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg and Trent Reznor.
Woods is credited with being a cornerstone of Rolling Stone’s editorial operation for more than 20 years. He has overseen award-winning investigations and feature stories that have earned three National Magazine Awards, two George Polk Awards and numerous other accolades. Woods also collaborated with teams that earned an Emmy nomination. Prior to Rolling Stone, he was a contributing editor at Men’s Journal, where his “Last Word” column featured interviews with Anthony Bourdain, Mel Brooks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more.
With Halperin’s departure, Roshan will become the sole editorial leader of THR, overseeing a global team of more than 80. Moving forward, Roshan will continue to direct editorial strategy for the weekly print magazine and THR’s standalone special issues and newsletters. He will also oversee the brand’s digital platform and its growing video, audio and social assets, including a raft of new newsletters and podcasts that are scheduled to debut this fall.
“It’s been a real privilege to work here with the best editors and writers in the business,” he said. “At a time of unprecedented change in the media industry and in Hollywood, we have a chance to innovate and expand this brand into new areas while preserving the journalistic excellence that has made THR the most respected entertainment industry publication in the world.”
An award-winning editor, writer and media entrepreneur, he previously served as a top editor for New York Magazine, Interview and Talk and launched and edited a series of trailblazing print and online publications, including Radar and TheFix.com. He joined THR in September 2023 after a five-year stint as EIC of Los Angeles Magazine, where he quadrupled the magazine’s circulation.
At THR, Roshan has helped reshape the magazine as the industry weathered tectonic changes in its shift to digital. The brand, synonymous with the entertainment industry over its 95-year history, has evolved into one of the leading media brands in America — drawing a larger monthly readership larger than such top consumer titles as Vanity Fair, New York and Entertainment Weekly. During his tenure, the magazine launched a series of new franchises on Creators, AI and Working in Hollywood and added international editions in Italy, India and Spain. The magazine has rapidly expanded its original video and photography footprint along with social reach, gaining 3 million followers in the past two years for a total of 13 million-plus followers across multiple platforms, while a suite of leading newsletters from its reporters and critics boasts hundreds of thousands of subscribers across Hollywood.
Over the past two years, THR has nabbed numerous awards, including an L.A. Press Club Award for best website, a prestigious National Magazine Award for best cover and multiple Daytime Emmy nominations for its Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter roundtable series. It also has received dozens of other accolades, including National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards, SoCal Journalism Awards and Webby Award nominations. In 2024, Ryan Murphy presented Roshan with the Daily Front Row award as Editor of the Year, and he was recently named one of 2025’s Gold House A100 Honorees alongside the likes of Jon M. Chu, Michelle Yeoh, Dwayne Johnson, Ang Lee and Bruno Mars. New York Magazine recently named him as one of the 57th most influential people in American media.
“We thank Shirley for her contribution to THR and wish her luck at Rolling Stone,” said Jerry Ruiz, THR’s business head.We’re very excited about this new thrilling phase of The Hollywood Reporter, led Maer Roshan and his incredible team.”
