Gene Simmons recently opened up about his past during an interview on Howie Mandel Does Stuff on YouTube. Simmons addressed long-standing rumors about his relationships and revealed a surprising story about how he and his wife, Shannon Tweed, decided to destroy records of his past.
When asked about claims that he had been with 5,000 women, Simmons revealed that the number might not be accurate, adding, “I didn’t sleep with them.” However, he admitted to keeping detailed records of his encounters, including names and photographs.”There was lists, books, and all that stuff, but I shamefully—or not—took photos of all of them,” he recalled. “There were books and books and books of it. And then I decided to come clean, because you know, men are a—holes.”
Simmons revealed that he and Shannon decided to get rid of the evidence. “Shannon and I took all those big portfolios. There were lots, oh yeah. And we burned them together. Yep.”
According to Simmons, the process was emotional, especially for their children. “Nick and Sophie. I think it must have been hardest for them. We got married on the 30th year, we’ve been together 41 years. But the first 29 years of us being together, if there would have been a king a—hole with a crown, it would have been yours truly.”
This comes just days after Simmons sparked controversy with remarks made during his guest appearance as a judge on Dancing With The Stars for the ‘Hair Metal Night’ episode. He praised actress Chandler Kinney, saying, ‘You’ve fogged up my glasses,’ and commented on her beauty and emotional connection to the performance. At another point, he said, “This is a brand-new experience for me, and it’s difficult to look at you and figure out which one is more hot, hot, hot”
Simmons also caused a stir when he gave Phaedra Parks and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy a score of five, while other judges gave them sevens. This decision led to boos from the audience and confusion from the contestants, as Simmons didn’t give any negative feedback about their performance.
Simmons defended himself in an interview with Daily Mail in response to the backlash, calling the criticism ‘clickbait.’ He said he stood by his words and enjoyed the experience, adding, “The contestants were great. The show was great. Watch the show. It was a lot of fun.”
Simmons also addressed his views on beauty, explaining that appearance is something people naturally judge. He linked societal standards, such as makeup and high heels, to the way people present themselves. He defended his comments with a new hashtag, #gof*ckyourself, saying it applies to everyone equally.
