Gene Simmons has once again stirred controversy with blunt remarks about former KISS bandmate Peter Criss, comments that surfaced shortly after backlash over his statements regarding Ace Frehley’s death. The remarks appeared in a video shared by Professor of Rock, in which Simmons discussed his complicated relationship with Criss while offering pointed opinions about the drummer’s role and contributions to the band.
“Okay, children, now that you’ve all grown up, it’s time for the truth,” Simmons said. “Statement of fact: I love Peter [Criss]. We all do. Families are complex. I don’t know of any family that doesn’t argue or get angry with each other and sometimes don’t speak with each other for sometimes decades and then get back together. ‘Cause family is family.”
“Peter is always family,” he continued. “And sadly we saw Peter at Ace’s funeral [last October]. And we reminisced in between the sorrow and the pain — ‘remember when’ and all that. But it’s time for the truth.”
Simmons then shifted to his most contentious assertions, directly addressing Criss’s musical abilities and creative output within KISS.
“Peter does not write songs,” he stated. “He doesn’t play a musical instrument. Drums are not a musical instrument, by definition. They’re called a percussive instrument. Really important — sometimes extremely important in a band. It was for us. But you cannot play a drum fill that can be copywritten [sic], but you can come up with a riff that you can own and a melody and a lyric. Those can be copywritten [sic], but nothing you do on drums will prevent anybody else from directly copying whatever you did and applying it to another song. Okay, that’s number one.”
“Number two, as far as I know, Peter plays no other instruments that I’ve ever seen,” Simmons added. “Not keyboards, six-instruments at all. Peter’s got a great whiskey voice in the early days.”
The comments arrive during a deeply emotional and strained chapter for the KISS camp, marked by loss and lingering interpersonal tension among its members.
They follow Simmons’ widely criticized remarks about Ace Frehley’s death in October 2025. According to PopCulture, Simmons told The New York Post that Frehley’s passing stemmed from “bad decisions” and past substance abuse, despite the guitarist having marked 18 years of sobriety in 2024. Frehley died after an accidental fall that resulted in a skull fracture, brain bleed, and stroke. The comments sparked widespread backlash, prompting Simmons to issue a public apology days later. “On reflection, I was wrong for using the words I used… I humbly apologise,” he said, retracting his earlier statements.
Frehley’s funeral became a rare reunion for the surviving KISS members. PopCulture reported that Simmons attended the private service on November 2, 2025, alongside Peter Criss and Paul Stanley, describing the event as “heartbreaking.” It was during this gathering that Simmons reconnected with Criss, leading to the moments of reflection he later referenced.
Outside of the band’s ongoing tensions, Peter Criss has been focused on personal milestones. Channel X94 noted that in December 2025, Criss spoke publicly about surviving breast cancer, calling his recovery a “miracle.” His health journey has unfolded separately from the disputes surrounding KISS, underscoring the complicated family dynamics Simmons alluded to in his recent remarks.
