Gene Simmons Under Fire For 'Objectifying' Remarks On 'Dancing With The Stars'

"Dancing With the Stars" brought a full-on Hair Metal takeover on Tuesday, October 8, complete with Gene Simmons as a guest judge.

Contestants and pros rocked out to legendary tracks from Aerosmith, Whitesnake, Twisted Sister, and more, bringing some serious '80s nostalgia to the ballroom. Hair Metal Night kicked off with an electrifying opening number set to KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite,” choreographed by Pasha Pashkov, with Whitesnake’s Joel Hoekstra shredding on guitar. But while the performances rocked, guest judge Gene Simmons, co-lead singer of KISS, stirred up some major drama.

Fans on social media were quick to call out Gene Simmons, with many branding his "objectifying" feedback as "creepy" and superficial, accusing him of focusing way too much on looks and appearances rather than the dancing.

Danny Amendola and Witney Carson were the first to perform, delivering a paso doble to “Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi. But rather than commenting on the dance moves, Gene Simmons said, "It's difficult to look at both of you and to figure out which one is more hot hot hot. You are right next to somebody who ... one more beautiful woman on the planet. She makes you look good."

As Gene Simmons dished out his comments, it wasn’t just the audience feeling uneasy—pro dancer Witney Carson looked visibly uncomfortable, glancing around awkwardly and attempting to laugh it off. Social media quickly picked up on the awkward moment, with fans saying it was clear she wasn’t feeling Simmons' vibe.

The comments continued throughout the night, with Simmons telling Reginald VelJohnson that he has "got a beautiful woman right beside you who can twist it and turn it and knows how to move it," referring to Emma Slater.

After Gene Simmons commented on Brooks Nader's looks and her "out of this world" personality, he scored her the first 10 of the season.

"Ight, whose dumb idea was it to have Gene Simmons be a guest judge? He’s giving random scores and not the appropriate one," one X user wrote.

"Gene Simmons trying to give a TEN to Gleb and Brooks??? I can’t," another expressed.

"Never invite Gene Simmons back! He’s an idiot!! A 10 (almost) for Brooks and Gleb! Give me a break! He only did that because of her looks!" a third said.

It seems that while Simmons held up a 10, the "Dancing With the Stars" production team counted it as a 9, probably because it wouldn't be fair if a guest judge handed out the first 10 of the season.

The comments didn't stop there. After Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong performed a jive to “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister, Gene Simmons told her she "fogged up" his glasses.

"You moved me not just with your gyrations but your beautiful face," he added, which didn't sit well with fans.

"Was he there to judge their looks?! objectifying everyone... his scores made no sense! never invite him back," someone shared on TikTok.

"Me every time Gene Simmons’s feedback is about what the woman’s face or body looks like," another viewer wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

When judging Erik Roberts and Britt Stewart's paso doble to “Cherry Pie” by Warrant, all Gene Simmons could comment on was how Erik had a "pretty girl in hand."

He also called Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber a "steamy couple," but one of the most talked about comments was to Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy, where Simmons said, "I'm a big fan of the bad girl and the bad boy."

"It’s only the first dance and i’m already over gene simmons being a creep," one user said.

"Thank goodness Mark Ballas is guest judge next week he is going to be great and really from now on all guest judges need to be former pro dancers or their scores shouldn't count," another wrote.

Social media users continued to put the co-lead singer of KISS on blast, with one fan writing, "Tonight is just an off night for #DWTS… Gene Simmons is grossing me out, the judges are cherry picking who they are being harsh to, and Glen & Brooks should not have gotten a 10, even if it was from a guest judge…"

"Gene Simmons giving Phaedra a 5 and wanting to give Brooke a 10... get this man OFF my screen. I've had ENOUGH of his gross comments and his bad scoring," another said.

"Dancing With the Stars" airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu and ABC.com the next day.