Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee recently addressed his well-known altercation with Kid Rock at the 2007 MTV VMAs. He set the record straight in an appearance on Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard.
During the conversation, host Dax Shepard brought up the incident directly. He noted that he himself had nearly gotten into a fight with Kid Rock. Lee used the opportunity to clarify what actually happened that night — and what didn’t.
“I mean, I got to bring this up just cuz I almost fought him, too. You got in this fight with Kid Rock. Did you guys punch each other?” Shepard asked.
“No. That’s the f*cking craziest thing. Nobody got at each other. There was people on us so quick pulling us apart, and there’s a couple swings and a miss and then we were [separated],” Lee responded.
Lee pushed back against the widely circulated narrative that Kid Rock had landed a punch on him.
“[It wasn’t a fight], not at all. Like people were like, ‘Oh yeah, f*cking Kid Rock punched Tommy Lee.’ Dude, he never touched me. Like it never happened. I don’t know what edit you saw, but yeah,” he said.
Lee also explained how the confrontation started, describing what he believes was a deliberate provocation.
“I got up to go to the bathroom. I come back from the bathroom and he’s sitting in my seat. You know they do that seat filler shit. They go to commercial or he just saw that I left and went I’m going to go sit in his seat and start shit I don’t know. I don’t know what the objective was but I came back and he’s in my seat and I’m like bro what are you doing?” he recalled.
“And he’s like, ‘F*ck you.’ It seemed intentional. I don’t think it just was filling a seat, but yeah,” Lee added.
The 2007 MTV VMAs incident had long been a topic of speculation. Lee’s comments now offer his clearest account of what transpired that evening. The altercation unfolded during Alicia Keys’ live performance and quickly became one of the most talked-about moments in VMA history.
The feud between the two men did not begin at the VMAs. Their animosity was rooted in their shared history with Pamela Anderson, who had been in a relationship with both. Kid Rock later testified in an unrelated court case that he and Lee had “bad blood” over those relationships long before the awards show confrontation.
In the immediate aftermath, Kid Rock was issued a citation for misdemeanor battery. He was not arrested at the scene. Security personnel separated the two before the situation could escalate further.
No criminal charges were ultimately filed. The Clark County District Attorney’s office confirmed that Lee had requested no prosecution. With no injuries reported, the case was closed without legal consequence for either party.
Lee’s own account of the night has shifted slightly over the years. In earlier statements, he described Kid Rock approaching him from behind, tapping him on the shoulder, and throwing a punch when he turned around — referring to Kid Rock as “Kid Pebble” in the process. His latest version, shared on Armchair Expert, is notably more measured. Lee insists no punch ever connected.
What remains consistent across all accounts is that the confrontation was brief, chaotic, and quickly broken up. Whether it was a fight, a scuffle, or something in between, Lee is now clear on one thing: Kid Rock never touched him.
