GENE SIMMONS: Raising KISS Empire, Coming Clean to Shannon & Tasting Jam for the First Time

Gene Simmons opens up about the profound emotional weight of losing his mother, a Holocaust survivor whose daily declaration of 'every day is my son's birthday' became a lifelong mantra of love and resilience. He reveals how her survival shaped his own fierce work ethic and deep patriotism, and how her death at 92 prompted a spiritual reckoning that led him to finally marry his longtime partner, Shannon, after 41 years together. The interview exposes the dark underbelly of his rockstar persona: decades of infidelity, a public 'Coming Clean' photo burning of his thousands of intimate photos, and the painful realization that his 'compartmentalized' behavior damaged those he loved. Yet amid the confession, Simmons shares a tender moment of vulnerability—his first taste of jam as a child in America, which he describes as 'like having crack'—a sensory memory that encapsulates his journey from deprivation to abundance. He also discusses his new thriller film 'Deep Water,' produced with a passion that defies his age, and his unapologetic philosophy: 'Every day above ground is a good day.'