Retired KISS bassist/singer Gene Simmons is known for unashamedly wagging his legendarily long tongue and for his self-proclaimed reputation as a lusty Lothario. But during a guest jury period on Tuesday evening (October 8) “Hair Metal Night” op Dancing with the stars some commentators thought he went too far by focusing on pulchritude instead of Paso doble.

Firstly, Simmons reportedly received loud boos after he bewitched Reginald VelJohnson (Family matters, Die hard) a low score of 5 for his stiff cha cha to Twisted Sister’s ‘I Wanna Rock’. According to EWthe studio audience did not take kindly to fellow regular judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli who posted the same score – Carrie Ann Inaba gave them a more magnanimous 6 – but when Simmons followed suit, the boos reportedly grew considerably louder.

The low score came after Simmons had previously been generous to the fellow septuagenarian, saying before the dance, “Hey Reggie, you got a beautiful woman next to you who can twist and turn it and knows how to move it and all that.” . But I want to tell you that as a man who has been on stage all over the world for half a century, I’m kind of a big deal, Reggie. It’s all in the attitude. And you have something in that beautiful face. They love you.”

VelJohnson – who was eliminated on Tuesday night – had posted consistently low scores so far this season, but EW said Inaba noted that he had been a fan favorite in season 33 when he teamed up with fellow stars like previously eliminated con artist Anna Delvey, actors Eric Roberts and Tori Spelling, as well as still-active contestants Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, NFL player Danny Amendola, NBA center Dwight Howard, Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher, model Brooks Nader and Bachelor party star Jenn Tran, among others.

Simmons was repeatedly called out by viewers in comments on X for what they called his “creepy” comments, which some said treated the dancers as if they were in a beauty pageant. They pointed to Simmons and said he couldn’t decide which one was more “hot hot hot” among Amendola and professional dancer Witney Carson, and told 24-year-old actress Chandler Kinney (Pretty little liars) that she “fogged my glasses” and that she “moved me – not just with your curves, but with your beautiful face.”

“ABC needs to apologize after Gene Simmons came along and subjected their cast to that. Why didn’t a producer tell him to stop,” wrote one ” A similar comment read, “It’s only the first dance and I’m already over Gene Simmons being a creep,” as one person added, “Gene Simmons is seriously sucking all the energy out of the ballroom with his creepy comments about the dancers.”

Known for his opinions on a variety of topics, Forbes noted that Simmons has previously been called out for his thoughts on the opposite sex, including over a passage in his 2017 book, On Power: My Journey Through the Corridors of Power and How to Gain More Powerin which he wrote that exploiting sexuality is still the fastest route to the top for women.

“Women have a choice,” he said in an interview with the BBC New York Post while promoting the book in 2017. “They can dress in potato sacks, (but) as soon as they adorn themselves with lipstick, lift them up and take them apart and point them in our general direction, they get a reaction. Boys are losers – we will buy them mansions and houses. . . all because of sex.” In that same interview, Simmons told women to “overcome” their biological urges, opining, “It’s normal to want to have children, but sorry, you can’t have it both ways.” You have to commit to a career or a family. It’s very difficult to have both.”

KISS said that after five decades on tour, their End of the Road Tour – which wrapped in December – would be their final go-around. The group subsequently sold its name, image and likeness rights and announced a virtual performance in Las Vegas that would start in 2027.

Check out VelJohnson’s routine and see some comments about Simmons below.