Gene Simmons has clarified his statement that KISS is ending, explaining that while the touring band is finished, the KISS brand will continue in new forms, he told NEWSMAX.
Simmons made the remarks in response to questions about the band’s recent documentary, where he stated the end of KISS as fans know it. He was asked why he made such a definitive claim when fans still hoped for the band to continue.
Question: “Fans around the world holding out hope that this isn’t the end, but you clearly stated in this documentary that it is the end. Why?”
“Well, these are semantics, but I’m not ‘anti-semantic,’ see what I just did there?” Gene Simmons responded. “This is in fact the end of KISS as we know and love it over half a century of just blowing up stuff and having the time of our lives, and generations of fans. I’m so proud. But it’s the caterpillar going back in its cocoon, and coming out as a gorgeous butterfly that defies gravity. That’s what’s happening with KISS.”
“We’re gonna have avatar shows, there’s a motion picture right around the corner, we’ll have theme parks, and cartoon shows,” he continued. “In fact, we make thousands of licensed products, literally. Everything from KISS condoms and KISS caskets. We’ll get you coming, and we’ll get you going.”
Simmons made these comments as the band discussed the end of its touring years in a recent documentary. The comments show how the band sees its future beyond the stage.
KISS’s End of the Road World Tour ran from January 31, 2019, to December 2, 2023, and included 250 shows across the globe, even as the band postponed dozens of performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour ended at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In October 2026, KISS announced the release of their “End of the Road” tour documentary, which provides a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s four-year farewell tour and explores their final chapter after 50 years of rock and roll.
In early 2024, KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment. The partnership has led to plans for several major projects that Simmons referenced in his interview. A new KISS avatar show, created with Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by George Lucas, is scheduled to launch in Las Vegas in 2028 at a $200 million venue being built by Pophouse Entertainment.
Film projects are also in development alongside the avatar show. McG has been announced as director of a KISS biopic called “Shout It Out Loud,” with Mark Canton as producer, which will tell the story of the band’s formation in the 1970s. Nick Jonas is set to play Paul Stanley in the film. Gene Simmons revealed in April 2026 that KISS has written new songs for their upcoming avatar show, underscoring the band’s plans to create fresh material for their next chapter beyond touring.
