Rock legend Gene Simmons was among the guest judges joining this past week’s Dancing With the Stars episodes, but not everyone was a fan.
On Tuesday, Simmons, 75, appeared on the appropriately themed Hair Metal Night episode, but many DWTS viewers felt his remarks were far from appropriate.
The Kiss bassist and singer joined judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli on the show to score the celebrity contestants. After watching the dances, he also gave some unique opinions.
Following the episode, Monsters and Critics reported about viewer backlash over Simmons’ participation.
Many DWTS fans took issue with Simmons commenting on the various celebrities and pro dancers he found attractive.
He’s since unapologetically addressed the strong reaction to his appearance on the show.
Simmons reacted to the backlash over his DWTS participation
While many fans felt Simmons should have apologized after his involvement in DWTS earlier this week, the rock legend doubled down on his appearance as a guest judge.
“I stand by every word I said. I had a great time. The contestants were great. The show was great. Watch the show. It was a lot of fun,” he told Daily Mail.
“Everybody’s got something to say,” Simmons said, adding, “Watch the show. It was a lot of fun. Everybody had a great time.”
Among those whom Simmons told they were attractive were dancer Witney Carson and celebrity contestant Chandler Kinney.
He told former NFL player Danny Amendola that his dance partner, Witney, was “one of the more beautiful women on the planet.”
“Chandler, you’ve fogged up my glasses,” Simmons told Kinney, adding, “I don’t know what to tell you. You move me, not just with your gyrations and so on, but your beautiful face and how you were into the emotion of it.”
DWTS pro commented about Simmons’ remarks to his celebrity partner
Following Simmons’ appearance on DWTS, Kinney’s dance partner, Brandon Armstrong, reacted to the rock musician’s remarks.
“I said, ‘Hold up now.’ I have two little sisters. I heard it. I said, ‘Wait, wait, wait,'” he told US Weekly.
During the show, Simmons admitted that, as a guest judge, he wasn’t qualified to critique the “technical” aspects of the couples’ dances.
“Look, I’m not the technician here. I danced. I did win the Twist contest in [school] a long time ago, so for me, it’s not about the technical stuff,” he joked while critiquing model Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko.
Luckily for fans who disliked Simmons’ participation, someone with extensive experience on DWTS will return as a guest judge in Week 4.
Former DWTS pro and three-time Mirrorball Trophy winner Mark Ballas will lend his critiques and analysis to the show as the competition heats up.
Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.