Gene Simmons 'paid millions of pounds' to speak for a royal family

The Demon recently spoke to website This Is Money when he was asked if he has ever been paid “silly money” for anything in his career.

“Yes. There was a royal event I had to speak at for an hour and they paid me millions of pounds,” Gene revealed.

“It is not proper to say which royal family it was, but they just wanted me there. God knows why. I did not even perform, I just spoke.”

Elsewhere in the chat, Gene also spoke of his relatively poor upbringing in Israel, saying: “If my mother did not work hard enough we did not eat. When living in Israel we had little, lived in one room and the toilet was a hole outside.

“I never knew about toilet paper and could only dream at the thought of blowing your nose on a piece of paper and throwing it away after using it only once.

“I have never forgotten that money is hard to come by. I now have a big house but I could have one in many countries. I could own a fleet of jets, but I do not want any of that. I live comfortably.”

Asked if he’s ever struggled to make ends meet, Gene said: “No. I have never lived above my means. I washed dishes and picked up garbage, but I never struggled to make ends meet. If I was down and out, I never knew it at the time. I always had a job and could pay my way.”

Gene also shared his views on Brexit when he was hypothetically asked what he would do if he was the Chancellor.

“I would keep the UK in the European Union,” Gene said. “I understand Europe is a mess, but remaining in the EU would be better for the British economy.”

Taking in shows in Birmingham, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow, KISS’s swansong End of the Road World Tour hits the UK this July. Tickets are on sale from Planet Rock Tickets now.

See KISS at the following shows:

JULY 2019
Birmingham Arena- Tue 9th
London The O2 – Thu 11th
Manchester Arena – Fri 12th
Newcastle Metro Radio Arena – Sun 14th
Glasgow The SSE Hydro – Tue 16th

>> Click here to buy tickets <<