Gene Simmons Faces Backlash Over ‘Offensive’ and ‘Sexist’ Comments as Guest Judge on ‘Dancing With The Stars’

Kiss bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons appeared as a guest judge on “Dancing With The Stars” for the “Hair Metal Night” episode on Tuesday evening, October 8. He joined regular judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough as the 11 dance pairs hit the floor, performing to iconic rock anthems.

The evening began with an energetic opening dance set to Kiss’s “Rock And Roll All Nite”, choreographed by Pasha Pashkov and featuring Whitesnake and Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist, Joel Hoekstra.

The dancers brought their skills to the floor with routines set to classic 1980s hair metal hits, including Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “You Give Love A Bad Name“, Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way“, Warrant’s “Cherry Pie“, Europe’s “The Final Countdown“, Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It“, Quiet Riot’s “C*m On Feel The Noize“, Poison’s “Nothin’ But A Good Time“, Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again“, and Scorpions’ “Rock You Like A Hurricane“.

According to Forbes, Simmons faced criticism for his comments throughout the night, with some viewers finding him “creepy” due to his remarks, which often focused on appearances. He gave Phaedra Parks a score of five, while the other judges awarded her sevens, leading to boos from the crowd and a shocked reaction from both Parks and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy. His low score was particularly surprising, as he had praised their performance’s “bad-boy-and-the-bad-girl” energy without offering any negative feedback. Simmons also drew more boos after giving Reginald VelJohnson a low mark for his cha cha with pro partner Emma Slater to Twisted Sister’s “I wanna rock“.

“Hey Reggie, you’ve got a beautiful woman right beside you who can twist it and turn it and knows how to move it and all that”, Simmons said to VelJohnson before the scores were announced. “But I want to tell you, as a guy that’s been on the stage for half a century around the world, I’m kind of a big deal, Reggie. It’s all in the attitude. And you’ve got something in that beautiful face. They love you.”

One user on X criticized Simmons, saying: “hey gene! just wanna remind you that this is a dancing show, NOT a beauty contest. respectfully never come back pls and thank you #DWTS”. Another user wrote “phaedra getting a 5 but he gave brooks a 10… gene simmons count ur days. weird and gross comments all night #DWTS”.

Simmons has often made controversial statements about women, relationships, and marriage. Known for his self-proclaimed high number of romantic encounters, he’s frequently boasted about his relationships and expressed opinions that some perceive as sexist. He even published a book called Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective on the Oldest Profession in the World, which raised eyebrows for its content.

Also, in 2017, Simmons was reportedly banned from Fox News after a bizarre incident in which he allegedly barged into a staff meeting, made inappropriate comments, and exposed himself to staff members. This incident, reported by various media outlets, damaged his public image and raised concerns about his behavior offstage.