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!
Ashley Graham Explains Why She Stopped Breastfeeding Her 5-Month-Old Twins
Ashley Graham is one of the most relatable models and public figures out there. After becoming the first-ever plus-size model to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, she has made it her mission to spread the body positivity message. And since Graham is keeping it real in every aspect of her life, she also held nothing back throughout her pregnancies, showing what it really takes to be a mom.
Being a mom to a boy and 2 twins, Graham is spreading a message that every mom has a right to choose whether breastfeeding is right for them, regardless of society’s expectations.
In a recent interview, Graham got candid about the consequences of being pregnant that every woman goes through but prefers to not be too vocal about. The model said she also considered keeping some things to herself, admitting, “Especially with how your body is changing when you’re pregnant, and stretchmarks, and the saggy skin, formula, breastfeeding. Cause there’s also this whole thing with people telling you how to feed your child.”
Ashley proceeded to explain her experience with breastfeeding: “With my first kid, I was like, ’I can only breastfeed! This is the right way!’ Then I had the twins, and I was like, ’I’m not doing this. This is not working here. Both of you want both of these? This is a lot of work.’ So I stopped breastfeeding when they were 5 months, and I gave them the best formula that I could find… And these little guys are so strong and so happy.”
Ultimately, Graham believes it’s up to every mom to decide between formula or breastfeeding based on their personal experience. She drove her point home, saying, “I don’t think we should be telling people how we should be feeding our kids.”
The model then became even more relatable, sharing her physical struggles after giving birth. She said, “Your body just fills up with nutrition, and the baby sucks it out of you. And then the baby comes out and all of a sudden you’re just fully depleted of everything, so your hair falls out, you get acne, I mean, the weight doesn’t come off.”
Graham explained her candidness, saying, “I like to represent myself as someone who’s just happy with who I am. And I had a journey, like, it is a journey, body confidence, being okay with who you are is a journey… I don’t ever want to lie.” And we’re all grateful for the model sharing her experiences with us, as it makes mothers around the world feel seen and heard.
Preview photo credit ashleygraham / Instagram, ashleygraham / Instagram
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