Gene Simmons Family Jewels airs on A&E mondays
Kiss’ Gene Simmons and his partner, former Playmate of the Year Shannon Tweed and family are the latest Reality TV couple. Gene Simmons Family Jewels airs on A&E on monday nights. Gene Simons and Shannon Tweed have been together for 23 years and raised two seemingly well-adjusted teenagers, 17-year-old Nick and 14-year-old Sophie.
The family’s life is documented in Gene Simmons Family Jewels, an A&E series debuting tonight. But these are not The Osbournes. “I’ve never been high or drunk or smoked,” Simmons boasted at a press conference last month in Pasadena, Calif.
“Can’t say the same for me,” Tweed said with a smile. “But I’ve been good lately.”
His demonic image notwithstanding, Simmons is a no-nonsense parent.
“Our responsibility is to supply the money, the structure and the love and protect them with our lives. Their job is to do well in school and behave, period. This notion of parents having to negotiate with their children, who just learned to wipe their butts, is out of the question.”
Clips from Family Jewels portray Simmons bragging about his romantic conquests, but Tweed says it’s all talk. “I’m not a stupid girl, nor am I a doormat. If those things were true, he’d be missing a limb.”
Simmons doesn’t dispute this. “I want to be the bad guy. I don’t want anybody to say good things about me.”
He and his un-wife came to an understanding at the beginning of their relationship. “Before we ever really knew each other,” Simmons said, “we really put all the cards on the table. In fact, Shannon, early on, came on tour and answered the phone sometimes when the groupies were there. She’s met them, seen what it is.”
“I didn’t let them in,” she interjected with a laugh.
She still harbors the romantic notion of being a bride (in the premiere, she hopes to stage an ambush wedding and land her man). “I was brought up with Walt Disney like the rest of you. You know — Prince Charming was supposed to come and sweep me up and [I’d have] the dress and the party. But no, I don’t get a dress and a party.”
Simmons responds with the counter-argument that she also doesn’t get court papers. “Even though we’ve never been married, we also have never been divorced.”
Gene Simmons Family Jewels should be a riot, check it out every monday on A&E
September 16th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
Hey! I love Gene Simmons Family Jewels. I watch it every week. Gene is hillairious! Oh, can you hook me up with your son he is freaken hot!!!
September 16th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Hey! I love Gene Simmons Family Jewels! It is my favorite show! I watch it every week. Ur son Nick Simmons is freaken hot! Hook me up with him!
October 11th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
I LOVE FAMILY JEWELS MY MOM AND I WATCH IT TOGETHER EVERY MONDAY BUT, I WOULD LIKE GENE TO KNOW THAT IM NOT THAT KIND OF WIFE WERE ARE YOU WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME MY HUSBAND A MUSICIAN HIMSELF IS A VERY LUCKY GUY AND I’M A VERY LUCKY GIRL.