KISS Legend Gene Simmons Tells America: ‘Shut Up About Politics!’

Paul Riverbank, 12/22/2025KISS’s Gene Simmons urges Americans to stop political bickering and focus on mutual respect.

Simmons wasn’t tossing out pearls for the sake of soundbites. There’s a creeping pressure for people to declare allegiances, whether at the dinner table or online, and he sounded plainly tired of it. “Nowadays, people engage in, ‘So are you pro or—’ and my first question is, who the f--- are you?” Simmons snapped, eyebrows up, as if to say: We used to mind our own business—what changed?

Of course, the host didn’t let him skate by without poking at politics directly. The “Make America Great Again” crowd? Simmons wouldn’t bite. “Some of it makes sense and some not,” he shrugged off, giving more airtime to exasperation than political philosophy. “But literally, have a sense of humor. Take a pill, shut up and stop worrying what your next-door neighbor believes or doesn’t believe. It’s their America too.” Simplicity, but delivered with a knowing smirk.

It’s not as if Simmons is a stranger to the halls of power—a fact often overlooked. The rocker, more accustomed to receiving standing ovations than shaking legislative hands, picked up a Kennedy Center Honor earlier this year and then found himself trading pleasantries—not policy hot takes—with President Donald Trump. The meeting, he recounted, was “what human beings do”—the usual talk about families, kids, daily life. In a city addicted to drama, their exchange was downright ordinary.

And then, not too long after, Simmons turned up in a place even less glamorous than the stage or Oval Office: outside a Judiciary hearing room on Capitol Hill. There, he advocated for the American Music Fairness Act—a bid to close the gap on royalties for radio-played artists. The law, if passed, would require radio stations to pay the same performance royalties that streaming services already fork over. Corporate lobbyists weren’t the only ones dialed in; musicians from all genres quietly backed the move, and lawmakers on both sides—Darrell Issa, Marsha Blackburn, and Alex Padilla among them—seemed to agree for once.

Conservative groups, generally not known for singing kumbaya with artists, have started pestering Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate leaders to advance the bill. The measure, by industry estimates, would keep radio viable for small-town stations while finally giving musicians a fairer shake.

All the while, Simmons’s warning to just cool it with policing each other’s politics keeps echoing. The online scroll—Facebook threads, X replies, TikTok duels—makes clear how little people heed that advice. It’s as if everyone has a stake in what their neighbor checks on the ballot sheet, even though it rarely leads to anything but more division.

Will Americans ever stop grilling each other about politics over the backyard fence? Unlikely. Simmons, at least, is undeterred. His message hangs in the air: let your neighbor vote how they want—this country’s big enough for both of you. In a time obsessed with differences, maybe that’s the heaviest advice, delivered with a wink and a sharp retort.

Picture this: Gene Simmons—yes, the KISS legend with enough bravado to fill Madison Square Garden—leaning back in a CNN studio chair. You might expect rockstar bluster or at least a sideshow anecdote. Instead, what comes out sounds more like neighborly common sense, albeit delivered with that trademark bite. “It’s nobody’s business who you support,” Simmons fired off during a sit-down with Manu Raju, a reminder that sometimes the most obvious truths are the hardest to accept lately. Then came the part that stuck: “Who the f--- are you? Who are you?”—a jab at the nosiness that has crept into almost every corner of modern life.Simmons wasn’t tossing out pearls for the sake of soundbites. There’s a creeping pressure for people to declare allegiances, whether at the dinner table or online, and he sounded plainly tired of it. “Nowadays, people engage in, ‘So are you pro or—’ and my first question is, who the f--- are you?” Simmons snapped, eyebrows up, as if to say: We used to mind our own business—what changed?Of course, the host didn’t let him skate by without poking at politics directly. The “Make America Great Again” crowd? Simmons wouldn’t bite. “Some of it makes sense and some not,” he shrugged off, giving more airtime to exasperation than political philosophy. “But literally, have a sense of humor. Take a pill, shut up and stop worrying what your next-door neighbor believes or doesn’t believe. It’s their America too.” Simplicity, but delivered with a knowing smirk.It’s not as if Simmons is a stranger to the halls of power—a fact often overlooked. The rocker, more accustomed to receiving standing ovations than shaking legislative hands, picked up a Kennedy Center Honor earlier this year and then found himself trading pleasantries—not policy hot takes—with President Donald Trump. The meeting, he recounted, was “what human beings do”—the usual talk about families, kids, daily life. In a city addicted to drama, their exchange was downright ordinary.And then, not too long after, Simmons turned up in a place even less glamorous than the stage or Oval Office: outside a Judiciary hearing room on Capitol Hill. There, he advocated for the American Music Fairness Act—a bid to close the gap on royalties for radio-played artists. The law, if passed, would require radio stations to pay the same performance royalties that streaming services already fork over. Corporate lobbyists weren’t the only ones dialed in; musicians from all genres quietly backed the move, and lawmakers on both sides—Darrell Issa, Marsha Blackburn, and Alex Padilla among them—seemed to agree for once.Conservative groups, generally not known for singing kumbaya with artists, have started pestering Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate leaders to advance the bill. The measure, by industry estimates, would keep radio viable for small-town stations while finally giving musicians a fairer shake.All the while, Simmons’s warning to just cool it with policing each other’s politics keeps echoing. The online scroll—Facebook threads, X replies, TikTok duels—makes clear how little people heed that advice. It’s as if everyone has a stake in what their neighbor checks on the ballot sheet, even though it rarely leads to anything but more division.Will Americans ever stop grilling each other about politics over the backyard fence? Unlikely. Simmons, at least, is undeterred. His message hangs in the air: let your neighbor vote how they want—this country’s big enough for both of you. In a time obsessed with differences, maybe that’s the heaviest advice, delivered with a wink and a sharp retort.