Rocker Gene Simmons Hits on News Anchor During Cringey TV Interview
What To Know
- Gene Simmons appeared before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee to support the American Music Fairness Act.
- During a Scripps News interview, Simmons made an awkward and inappropriate comment to anchor Maritsa Georgiou.
- Simmons recently reunited with Kiss bandmates at the Kennedy Center Honors following the death of guitarist Ace Frehley.
Kiss frontman Gene Simmons appeared in front of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee of Intellectual Property to advocate for the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), radio stations pay royalties to performers, not just songwriters, for their music, highlighting it as a crucial step for artists’ fair compensation and supporting a long-overdue fix to a “legal anomaly” that benefits corporations but shortchanges creators.
However, during an interview with Scripps News anchor Maritsa Georgiou on Monday, December 8, about his appearance, Simmons steered the conversation in an unexpected and uncomfortable direction by asking the respected anchor about her “modeling.”
“By the way, are you still modeling?” asked Simmons.
“What?” replied a confused Georgiou.
“Are you still modeling?”
“Modeling? I…I don’t model, sir,” Georgiou responded during the uncomfortable exchange.
A true professional, Georgiou told Simmons she appreciated his time and would be watching him “on the Hill tomorrow.”
Simmons has been married to longtime partner Shannon Tweed since 2011. The two share two adult children and have been together for more than three decades. However, prior to their marriage, the rocker publicly boasted that he had slept with thousands of women, a claim he once repeated in interviews, including The Sun.
He has also made numerous controversial remarks over the years, including statements about women’s sexuality and their ability to use it for power. “Women have a choice,” he told the New York Post. “They can dress in potato sacks, [but] as soon as they pretty themselves up with lipstick, lift and separate them and point them in our general direction, they’re gonna get a response. Guys are jacka**es. We will buy them mansions and houses…all because of sex.”
Simmons recently reunited with his Kiss bandmates earlier this month at the Kennedy Center Honors. It was the first time the legendary band had gathered since the passing of original guitarist Ace Frehley.
Conversation19 Comments
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M
Gene Simmons is, was, and will always be a disgusting pig.
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J
Maybe it's you.
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L
Uh oh, Jim H. loves Gene
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C
The hell with his Trump loving ass. What an imbecile. I think he got brain damage from all that paint he wore. Must have been toxic.
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O
Asking her a simple and polite question is not hitting on her! Grow up, stop being so ignorant & get your head out of the gutter
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F
If you don't realize how disgusting that was, then you are a part of the problem.
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J
Disgusting?
Take a bath.
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C
Simmons is always annoying but entertaining. He may be losing it like Trump if he actually thought she was ever a model. But probably he was just being his annoying self.
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D
It's eeven worse than being cringeworthy of insisting that he was being cringy or that he was flirting with her by saying that, when if you wake up and come to reality, all news anchors, especially the female anchors. Do have to look a certain part when they're going to be on TV for the majority of the time. I mean come on now. Let's be real here. So they already are modeling in a sense. They've got a wardrobe all picked out and set out for probably the whole entire week and a backup wardrobe. I dare you to tell me that isn't modeling. You're having photographs taken if you, being filmed in front of a lot of media and publications. What else is it then other than acting?
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Y
He even made one of the Pro dancers on Dancing with the stars very uncomfortable with what he said to her. WHY was HE judging a dance competition anyway?! Only because it was Hair Metal Night! I could think of so many more appropriate musicians to have as guest judge. Gross 😝
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D
Not sure why asking a woman if she’s a model is that weird or inappropriate? Could think of a lot of worse things to ask.
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D
I think he's referring to something else....
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M
Because that's all he thinks women are worth. Cringe
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B
I'm 50 years old, I understand the aggravated state of bands that aren't relevant anymore.... .Gene has more money than the northern hemisphere, he needs to retire and love his family, nobody knows who he is, it's over, cash your businesses in, ride out respectable
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G
That was such an innocent question and y'all blowing it up like it was perverse. He was just calling her beautiful in a different untraditional way. Yeah it might be a little off and weird, but this world truly needs to stop making everything seem worse than it is, just for clicks.
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M
No, you don't get to dismiss this. 'It's just Gene Simmons' he is cringy and thinks that she probably slept her way into her job. Sick
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G
Yeah. We DO get to dismiss this. And we’re going to. It’s time to stop treating failed attempts at flirting like it’s sexual assault.
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P
It wasn't the time or place.
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J
Known heretofore and forever as KidsAss since the Lennedy Center movement stake.
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