Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is facing mixed reactions online after posting a video joking with the band’s German tour manager, Thomas Reitz.
In the clip, Lee introduces Reitz to his followers before making a joke referencing a Nazi-associated hand gesture tied to his tour manager’s German heritage. The exchange has since drawn a range of responses from fans, some amused and others critical.
“Hey everybody, this is our tour manager Thomas, and he is from Germany,” Tommy Lee said. “Yeah, up high Thomas! Oh, wait a minute. You’re not allowed to do that anymore.”
Reitz responded to the moment on camera, shaking his head no.
The video sparked a divide among fans in the comments section. One supporter of the joke wrote, “Wow it’s just a good old joke. Who would have thought that possible these days.” Others pushed back strongly. One commenter stated, “6 million people died behind Hitler and that salute. Have some class Tommy.” Another added, “That’s an incredibly stupid joke Tommy! And beyond tasteless!”
This kind of split reaction is nothing new for Tommy Lee. His social media presence has long leaned on provocative, joke-first content designed to court reaction rather than land safely with every follower. Mötley Crüe has spent decades cultivating a “bad boys of rock” image. The band’s members have repeatedly courted controversy through shock-value stunts and off-color humor, both on stage and online.
Against that backdrop, the latest video reads less like an isolated misstep and more like a continuation of a pattern the band has built its reputation on, for better or worse.
Whether fans view the joke as classic Tommy Lee irreverence or as a genuine overstep likely depends on how much goodwill his decades of shock-value antics have earned him. The post continues to generate discussion among Mötley Crüe fans online.
