Fans of Dancing with the Stars are expressing their shock over Gene Simmons using his position as a guest judge to “sexualize women.”
The 75-year-old KISS frontman, known for his larger-than-life stage presence and persona, joined the show to critique the contestants on Hair Metal Night as they danced to iconic rock anthems from the 1980s.
But audiences are now demanding the network “issue an apology” for “putting a creep on the show,” and for providing him a platform to voice his “cringe-worthy” and “sexist” comments.
On the Tuesday, October 9 episode of Dancing with the Stars, KISS rocker Gene Simmons raised quite a few eyebrows with his controversial guest appearance.
As part of the show’s Hair Metal Night, Simmons joined regular judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli to critique the celebrity dancers.
Despite the high energy of the nostalgia-filled performance set to hits like Cherry Pie and Rock You Like a Hurricane, Simmons’ sexually suggestive remarks overshadowed the night for many fans.
While his rock persona has long been associated with pushing boundaries, many felt his behavior wasn’t suited for the lighthearted nature of the competition series.
Throughout the episode, Simmons, 75, made several remarks that focused less on the dancing and more on the female dancer’s looks, which many viewers call “creepy.”
After former NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola and Witney Carson hit the dance floor, “The Demon” said he couldn’t figure out who was more “hot hot hot.”
“Danny, I’m telling you, you’re right next to somebody – one of the most beautiful women on the planet. She makes you look good. Buddy, you gotta hit the gym. You gotta get in there,” added Simmons.
And then, referring to Emma Slater who was dancing with actor Reginald VelJohnson dancer, he said: “You’ve got a beautiful woman right beside you, who can twist it and turn it, and knows how to move it and, you know, all that.”
The rock legend also had words for VelJohnson. “I wanna 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,” Simmons said. “It’s all in the attitude and you’ve got something in that beautiful face, they love you!”
Perhaps one of his cringiest remarks was directed to actor-singer Chandler Kinney. Explaining that her moves “fogged up” his glasses, Simmons removed his dark shades and said, “You moved me, not just with your gyrations and so on, but your beautiful face and how you were into the emotion of it – top to bottom.”
He did however offer one relevant opinion to Kinney when he praised her talents, noting that she has a “big future” ahead of her.
Social media quickly filled with backlash, with many expressing their discomfort and frustration. Some viewers even went as far as to call him the “worst guest judge” in the show’s 33-season run.
“I usually like Gene Simmons and think he’s funny. But that was not the case as a guest judge. Very inappropriate and just not helpful,” writes one cyber fan on the DWTS Facebook site.
A second shares, “It was uncomfortable for us watching, can’t even imagine how the women felt. And he wasn’t scoring dances, he was just giving out random numbers.”
Gene was a bust! His comments and feedback were inappropriate along with the scores.”
A third critic adds, “His comments on all the girls was cringe!”
Another user calls Simmons “vulgar” and says he’s “the worst judge ever
Meanwhile, other online citizens are calling out ABC and Disney+, suggesting the network and streaming service apologize to fans of DWTS.
“Y’all owe the biggest apology to your fanbase (which is primarily women) & the dancers for putting that creep on your show and allowing for him to sexualize them on live TV,” one netizen writes on Facebook.
A second pens, “They need to apologize for having Gene Simmons. It was cringe-worthy. His comments were sexist, and he was just awful.”
“But they had a felon on the show this season,” adds another user, who’s referring to Anna Delvey (Sorokin), the convicted fraudster who sparked a lot of controversy with her appearance on September 17, the first episode of the DWTS season.
What do you think of DWTS decision in having Simmons as a guest judge? Please let us know what you think and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say!
Cameron Diaz explains emotional real reason behind decision to retire from acting for 11 years
The Holiday favorite last appeared on screen as Miss Colleen Hannigan in 2014’s Annie
Cameron Diaz has been a bona fide Hollywood darling since making her point- film debut beside Jim Carrey in 1994’s The Mask.
Following her part as Tina Carlyle in the blockbuster, the 52- time-old went on to appear in classics like My Stylish Friend’s marriage, raised Princess Fiona in the Shrek ballot and played Natalie Cook in 2000s Charlie’s Angels and its effect, Full Throttle.
Now if you cast your mind back to 2014, Diaz was having a shelter of a time.
She was Carly Whitten in The Other Woman, Annie Hargrove in Jake Kasdan’s coitus Tape recording and Miss Hannigan in the Annie reboot.
But after stepping out as the matriarch of the iconic Hudson St Orphanage, Diaz mysteriously went silent.
A decade latterly, the Californian has lifted the lid on why she decided to suddenly quit Hollywood and exit the limelight.
The concession comes as Diaz gears up to make her return to the tableware screen with the aptly named action comedy film, Back in Action.
The mama – of- two will play former CIA asset Emily contrary Jamie Foxx’s Matt as she and her mate are forced to return to work after their secret individualities are exposed.
Back in Action, directed by Seth Gordon, is set to debut on Netflix on 17 January 17 and comes ahead of Shrek 5’s cinematic release in July 2026.
The direct effect to 2010’s Shrek Forever After will see Diaz reprising her voice part as Princess Fiona alongside Mike Myers as the nominal Dream works character and Eddie Murphy as their noble horse, jackass.
Making it a chapeau- trick, Diaz is also presently rephotographing the Apple TV movie outgrowth.
The Jonah Hill- directed design is billed as a black comedy and will star The Holiday alumna in an unnamed part.
The star- speckled also cast includes Keanu Reeves, Laverne Cox and Bottoms’ Kaia Gerber.
So with her triumphant assiduity return on the horizon, why did Diaz move down from the spotlight in the first place?
Appearing at Fortune’s utmost important Women Summit in California before this week( October 14), Diaz admitted bowing out was just ‘ commodity’ she had to do.
“ It felt like the right thing for me, to reclaim my own life, and I just really didn’t watch about anything differently, I didn’t.
“ And nothing’s opinion, nothing’s success, no bone’s offer, no bone’s anything could change my mind about my decision of taking care of myself and erecting the life that I really wanted to have, ” she continued, as per The Hollywood journalist.
The actress continued to claim that erecting a family came commodity she was ‘ passionate about’ and that working in the assiduity no longer ‘ fed her soul’.
Thankfully, it appears the star has re-found her spark, with all eyes now on Diaz’s imminent return.
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