Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee has finally clarified what really happened during his infamous 2007 MTV VMA incident with Kid Rock. In a recent appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard, Lee provided his detailed account of the backstage confrontation that made headlines nearly two decades ago.
According to Lee’s version of events, the physical altercation was far less dramatic than widely reported. “No. That’s the f*cking craziest thing. Nobody got at each other,” Lee explained. “There was people on us so quick pulling us apart, and there’s a couple swings and a miss and then we were [separated].” He emphasized that contrary to popular belief, Kid Rock never actually made contact with him during the exchange. “Dude, he never touched me. Like it never happened. I don’t know what edit you saw, but yeah,” Lee stated emphatically.
The drummer revealed the actual trigger for the confrontation was surprisingly mundane. Lee had stepped away to use the bathroom during the awards show. When he returned, he found Kid Rock sitting in his seat. “I got up to go to the bathroom. I come back from the bathroom and he’s sitting in my seat,” Lee recounted. “You know they do that seat filler shit. They go to commercial or he just saw that I left and went I’m going to go sit in his seat and start shit I don’t know.” When Lee confronted Rock about the seat, the response was hostile. “And he’s like, ‘F*ck you.’ It seemed intentional. I don’t think it just was filling a seat, but yeah,” Lee added.
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards incident occurred on September 9 during Alicia Keys’ performance in Las Vegas. The altercation involved both musicians who shared a notable connection through their past relationships with actress Pamela Anderson. This detail fueled speculation about the true cause of their clash. While eyewitness accounts varied at the time, most reports indicated that Kid Rock threw a punch or slap at Lee. Security quickly separated the two before the situation escalated further.
The incident resulted in Kid Rock being cited for misdemeanor battery following the exchange. Neither man sustained serious injuries, and the entire altercation was resolved within moments as security intervened. Both musicians were subsequently escorted out of the venue, bringing an abrupt end to their presence at the awards show.
Lee’s recent clarification suggests that the narrative surrounding the fight has been significantly exaggerated over the years. His account emphasizes that the confrontation was more of a brief, heated exchange sparked by a seating dispute rather than the serious brawl it was portrayed as in media coverage and edited footage. The drummer’s willingness to address the incident directly challenges the sensationalized version that has persisted in pop culture memory, offering fans a more nuanced understanding of what transpired during that chaotic moment at the 2007 VMAs.
