The iconic KISS rock star Gene Simmons has lately been getting into the movie business, and some fans on social media are mocking him for doing something other than music. Simmons doesn’t seem to be bothered.
Simmons posted a selfie video last Thursday promoting his new survival thriller movie Deep Water, set to be released May 1. Simmons is a producer of the movie.
“I may actually show up unannounced at some movie theaters across the country to watch the movie with you,” he teased in a post on X.
An account titled “The KISS Army General,” a self-described fan of Simmons’ rock band, replied to his post, asking sarcastically, “Don’t you have ENOUGH money yet Gene???”
Simmons responded to what he said was a “loser’s question.”
“Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk all get up every day and try to make more,” the rock star said. “No matter how much they’ve got. Get out of your losers’s mentality, and try to win in life, every day.”
Simmons’ net worth is reportedly $400 million, according to multiple reports.
Simmons, the son of Jewish refugees in Hungary, made his name as a bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band KISS, which rose to prominence in the 1970s. In 2024, KISS’ song catalogue, image, likeness and name was sold for $300 million.
Much of his wealth, however, comes from licensing deals with KISS, partnered with multiple products from pinball machines to condoms. The branding has reportedly generated $1 billion in licensing since the band started in 1973, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Simmons has also written books and participated in reality show contests. When it comes to the movie business, he’s produced films as far back as 1999 and even acted in some movies like Runaway in the 1980s.
In the public sphere, Simmons has not been afraid to speak his mind on controversial issues. Last month, he made headlines tearing into celebrities who comment on politics, telling them to “shut the f–k up.“
“Do your art and shut up. Nobody’s interested in your opinions, that includes me. Who I vote for. Who I like. People in America work hard for a living and they don’t want to be lectured to by people who live in mansions and drive Rolls-Royces,” he said.