Gene Simmons recently opened up about the difficult truth regarding former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s struggles with substance abuse. He explained why fans often react negatively when he shares these realities. The KISS bassist made these candid remarks during an appearance on the Inside Of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast.
Simmons addressed the ongoing challenges he’s faced with Frehley over their five-decade relationship. He also explained why fans struggle to accept the harsh realities behind the scenes.
“It’s been up and down for 50 years with Ace. And the fans often would hate me for telling the truth,” Simmons said. “When the kids are at home and there’s mom and dad and all of a sudden dad gets thrown out of the house, the kids don’t understand — they love mom and dad — why mom kicked dad out of the house.”
He continued with an analogy to explain the fans’ perspective. He compared them to children caught in a difficult family situation.
“And she tries to explain to them: ‘He was a drunk, he was a loser, he was late, didn’t show up on time, didn’t do what he was supposed to do, was barely around the kids, but he’s your father.’ And the fans are like kids. They don’t know,” Simmons explained.
The KISS co-founder acknowledged Frehley’s talent and influence. He also detailed the practical challenges of working with him during the band’s early years.
“If you would’ve met Ace at the beginning [of KISS] — God bless him — you would’ve fallen in love with the idea, who he is and all that,” he said. “And then [as Niccolò] Machiavelli [said], [when you] have power, [you must sometimes] abuse it. It affects all of us in different ways. Me too. But Ace turned to beverages and chemicals. Early on, he wouldn’t show up… I mean, he wouldn’t show up to do his guitar parts on even ‘Destroyer’ early on.”
Simmons emphasized that fans don’t want to hear these truths because of Frehley’s undeniable talent and influence on other musicians.
“And the fans don’t like to hear this because he’s so talented and everybody, all the new guitar players, were influenced by him and all that,” he noted. “Yeah, but when you’re together in a band, you’re together more time than your family members or your wife or kids. So he’d be late and all this stuff.”
The bassist also mentioned similar issues with original KISS drummer Peter Criss. He explained how success affected both founding members.
“And Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer], we love him, and God bless, he’s still around, but really from the early days, as soon as the money and the fame came in, it was like the dark cloud came over,” Simmons said. “And they were both in and out of the band three separate times. And the fans just couldn’t understand it.”
These recent comments reflect a pattern of candid reflections from Simmons about the band’s tumultuous history with its original members. This follows KISS’s farewell tour and ongoing tensions that have persisted for decades.
Louder Sound reported that Simmons recently expressed regret over not being tougher on Ace Frehley and Peter Criss regarding their substance abuse issues. In a Backstage Pass interview reflecting on KISS’s 50-year career after their End of the Road tour finale, Simmons stated he was “sad” he wasn’t harder on the original members. He noted they were “let go three different times” for the “same old thing” despite their foundational contributions alongside Paul Stanley.
The relationship between Simmons and Frehley has been marked by public disputes and accusations. Loudwire revealed that Frehley fired back in 2019 against Simmons’ Guitar World comments questioning his reliability for the tour. He claimed he quit twice due to Simmons and Stanley being “control freaks.” Frehley also accused Simmons of groping his wife. He argued that Simmons’ “slanderous” substance abuse references cost him millions despite over 12 years of sobriety at the time.
The ongoing tensions between the original KISS members have had lasting consequences for the band’s legacy and lineup decisions. KISS’s history includes multiple lineup changes with Frehley being fired or quitting three times due to substance abuse and behavioral issues. He was ultimately replaced permanently by Tommy Thayer in 2002. This excluded him from the End of the Road farewell tour. Thayer and Eric Singer stabilized the final lineup for the 2023-2024 tour that ended at Madison Square Garden.
Tragically, Q104.3 confirmed that Ace Frehley died on October 16, 2025, from accidental blunt head trauma after a fall at his New Jersey home. Gene Simmons suggested unreported “other factors” like poor lifestyle choices contributed beyond the official medical examiner’s ruling. He told the New York Post that Frehley’s death resulted from “bad decisions” and refusing advice, emphasizing “you reap what you shall sow.”
