The historic Gene Simmons of KISS was criticized for sexist and offensive comments on a famous television show

Gene Simmons of KISS has sparked backlash online for making “sexist” and “offensive” comments on Dancing With The Starsa famous dance reality show on American television.

The glam rock veteran made an appearance on this week’s episode of the dance competition, starring as a guest judge alongside Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough and Carrie Ann Inaba.

This week, the 11 couples returned to the dance floor for a “rock n’ roll” edition. The night opened with a performance of the KISS classic “Rock And Roll All Nite,” followed by choreography by the competitors featuring artists such as Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Scorpions and more.

However, according to media reports such as Forbes and Blabbermouth, they were some of the comments made by Simmons that caught the attention of viewersbut not for the right reasons.

Throughout the episode, on social media, some viewers criticized the bassist for making comments that focused more on the dancers’ appearance than their skills.

For example, Phaedra Parks received a lower score from Simmons than the other judges (although she did not share any negative comments) and also drew boos from the audience after her praise of Reginald VelJohnson focused heavily on her partner’s appearance. .

“Hey Reggie, you have a beautiful woman at your side who can twist it and turn it and knows how to move it and all that.”he said (via Blabbermouth). “But I want to tell you, as a guy who’s been on stage for half a century all over the world, I’m kind of a big deal, Reggie. It’s all in the attitude. And you have something on that beautiful face. They love you.”

Internet criticism of Gene Simmons for his comments

“Gene Simmons was the worst #DWTS guest judge of all time. “His comments were completely inappropriate for a family show and disrespectful to the female contestants,” one viewer wrote on X.

“Gene Simmons literally salivating over the woman on Dancing with the Stars is disgusting, I don’t think they could have cast a worse person in this role,” another shared, while a third added: “Don’t bring Gene Simmons back as a judge. That was horrible and very uncomfortable. Creepy dude vibes for all the women.”

Elsewhere, another viewer shared: “Gene Simmons might be one of the worst guest judges they’ve ever had. Many of the things he said seemed out of place and downright unpleasant at times” while others criticized the show’s producers for not taking steps to minimize the comments.