The March-May issue of the Brag Media's Rolling Stone AU/NZ hits newsstands today, with breakout Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby as its cover star.

Gadsby, who won Best Comedy Special at the 2024 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTAs), is the first non-music cover since The Brag Media brought Rolling Stone back to Australia.

The cover story, penned by Jenny Valentish, delves into Gadsby's career, personal life, and views on the comedy industry.

"To my delight, the Hannah I interviewed was every bit as fiery and nimble a commentator on the fly as they are on stage. They were generous enough to take on any topic, no matter how controversial or, I'm sure, on occasion, deeply personal. A new era of Gadsby is about to begin and it was a pleasure to get an early glimpse behind the curtain," said Valentish.

Gadsby said: "It was never my dream to be on Rolling Stone magazine, certainly not the cover. Because why would you bother dreaming about something that's highly unlikely."

The cover's design aimed to add an element of mystery and intrigue, according to photographer Charlie Ashfield. "For the cover we wanted to be playful with the lighting and add an element of mystery and intrigue, using lots of shadow and cool toned colours to exaggerate Hannah's silhouette and add an almost villainous vibe, using the styling to further exaggerate this concept and make it feel elevated and slick."

Poppy Reid, Editor-In-Chief of Rolling Stone AU/NZ, explained the choice of Gadsby for the cover, "This is our first non-music cover since The Brag Media brought Rolling Stone back to Australia, so it was important that the person we chose truly captured a moment in culture. Hannah has been one of the most impactful Australian comedians of recent years, thrilling audiences with their discordant take on stand-up both here and overseas. We also wanted to show Hannah in a way that hadn't been seen before, and our photographer and team did incredible work to cast them as the quintessential anti-hero in this amazing shoot."

The magazine also announced its new editor, James Jennings, a music and entertainment journalist who previously wrote for Rolling Stone for 10 years. Jennings expressed his excitement about the appointment, "Rolling Stone is unquestionably the world's most iconic music title, so to be appointed Print Editor for Rolling Stone AU/NZ is an incredible honour. Under the leadership of Editor-In-Chief Poppy Reid, the Rolling Stone AU/NZ team have kept the magazine feeling fresh, vibrant and tapped into the pop culture zeitgeist with some truly exceptional journalism and design. To work with a crew of fellow passionate music lovers who are committed to honouring Rolling Stone's rich history, while still pushing the title forward, is a dream come true and I'm incredibly excited about where we'll be taking Rolling Stone AU/NZ in the future."

Rolling Stone Australia's average issue readership has increased by 10.5% to 243,000 for the 12 months to September 2023, marking a sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. The Brag Media, Australia's largest creator of premium youth content and events, represents titles including Rolling Stone, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, and more.