‘Dancing with the Stars’ guest judge Gene Simmons was criticized for ‘offensive’ and ‘sexist’ remarks

The “Hair Metal Night” episode of “Dancing with the Stars” aired Tuesday, October 8th, and included guest judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough in addition to KISS bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons. The 11 pairs made a comeback to the dance floor in the episode, performing to well-known rock & roll hits. The event started with the opening dance to “Rock And Roll All Nite” by Kiss, which was choreographed by Pasha Pashkov and included Joel Hoekstra of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Whitesnake. The dancers performed to vintage 1980s hair metal tunes like:

• Livin’ On A Prayer (Bon Jovi)
• Walk This Way (Aerosmith)
• You Give Love A Bad Name (Bon Jovi)
• Cherry Pie (Warrant)
• The Final Countdown (Europe)
• Cum On Feel The Noize (Quiet Riot)
• We’re Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister)
• Nothin’ But A Good Time (Poison)
• Rock You Like A Hurricane (Scorpions)
• Here I Go Again (Whitesnake)

Forbes claims that Simmons later came under fire for his remarks made during the evening, with some viewers calling him “creepy” due to his somewhat flimsy criticism that mostly concentrated on appearances and looks. The audience jeered as Phaedra Parks and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, made disbelieving faces as the musician scored her a five while the other judges all gave her sevens. Simmons didn’t give Parks any bad comments, which made his assessment even more ambiguous. When Simmons revealed his score for Reginald VelJohnson, who performed a cha cha to “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister with pro partner Emma Slater, he also got a chorus of jeers.

I’m a a big fan of the bad-boy-and-the-bad girl dynamic of your routine.

Simmons to Parks and Chmerkovskiy

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. 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. Simmons to VelJohnson

These are some of the comments that sparked the flame:

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— maddison (@aidenxvanessa) October 9, 2024

Dear @officialdwts ,
Shame on Gene Simmons for treating this like a beauty pageant. Never have him on the show again. EVER. He ruined it. #gross #DWTS
With love,
Everyone— StarSamantha21 (@StarrSamantha21) October 9, 2024

On Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, “Dancing With The Stars” airs concurrently on ABC and Disney+. The following day, you can view episodes on Disney+.