‘Dancing With The Stars’ viewers tear into Gene Simmons for alleged racist, sexist scores
In what was probably considered to be a harmless decision at the time, Dancing With the Stars is now bearing the brunt for inviting Kiss frontman Gene Simmons as a guest judge.
Fans are calling out Gene Simmons for his alleged racist and sexist remarks, which included unwarranted comments on several participants’ physical appearances, especially women.
Fans unhappy with Gene Simmons for his allegedly disturbing behavior on Dancing with the Stars
Simmons’ alleged onslaught started with former NFL pro Danny Amendola, who shares the stage with Witney Carson in the dance reality TV show. Simmons told the pair he couldn’t determine which one was more “hot, hot, hot,” simultaneously shutting down the audience for suggesting that he might “go both ways.”
Apart from this weird incident, Simmons repeatedly awarded low scores to Black contestants, even lower than the actual judges, which rarely happens. Guest judges are usually more philanthropic when it comes to awarding points, considering how short their stay is on the show. Simmons’ actions come off as strange because he commended these participants for their respective performances, but his actions didn’t match his words when it came to rewarding them with a lavish score.
The fans are having none of it, and many of them are ensuring that this disgusting behavior doesn’t go unnoticed:
For context, Simmons awarded Phaedra and Val a 5, while the regular judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli each went with a 7. Apart from bashing Simmons, fans are not sparing Dancing with the Stars either, criticizing their decision to have the Kiss frontman on the show in the first place.
Gene Simmons is no stranger to controversies
Simmons has a long history of making unhinged remarks, dating back to 2002 when he told Fresh Air’s Terry Gross, “If you want to welcome me with open arms, I’m afraid you’re also going to have to welcome me with open legs,” alluding to the lyric from The Who’s 1981 song “You Better You Bet.”
This was followed by an incident on Fox & Friends in 2017, where Simmons burst into a staff meeting without any prior notice, unbuttoning his shirt and telling jokes. He made controversial comments on Today Tuesday the same year, saying “women can either wear a potato sack,” or use their sexuality to progress.
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