KISS has apparently had a change of coronary heart about Donald Trump amid the president’s announcement of the 2025 Kennedy Heart Honors, which embrace the induction of the beloved ’70s glam-rock band.
Founding members of the Grammy-nominated group, who’ve beforehand referred to as the MAGA chief “abhorrent” and referred to his supporters as “cockroaches,” expressed gratitude for the celebrated recognition.
“From our earliest days, KISS has embodied the American ideal that all things are possible and that hard work pays off,” singer-songwriter Paul Stanley informed TMZ this week. “The prestige of the Kennedy Center Honors cannot be overstated and I accept this on behalf of the long legacy of KISS and all of the band members who helped create our iconic band.”
Gene Simmons, the extra recognizable bassist and co-lead singer, added that the group was “deeply honored” to obtain the award.
Drummer Peter Criss referred to as it “the greatest honor of our career,” whereas guitarist Ace Frehley — who publicly supported Trump in 2020 — stated it was “a dream come true that I never thought would materialize.”
The KISS frontmen are seemingly capitulating to the political energy of the two-term Republican. Their newest feedback are in stark distinction to only a few years in the past, when Trump floated early conspiracy theories concerning the 2020 election being “rigged.”
“REGARDLESS of who you support, it is incendiary & abhorrent for ANY candidate to say ‘If I lose, the election is rigged,’” Stanley tweeted on the time. “It’s an insult to those who have fought for the free, safe elections we have and dangerously implies that citizens who don’t share your views are the enemy.”
The New York Metropolis native later blasted the January 6 Capitol rioters, calling them “terrorists.”
In 2022, Simmons criticized Trump and his cronies in an interview with SPIN journal: “Look what that gentleman [Trump] did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top.”
“I don’t think he’s a Republican or a Democrat,” he added. “He’s out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker.”
Kevin Winter/Getty Photographs for ABA
(L-R) Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer of Kiss carry out in Los Angeles in 2020. (Photograph by Kevin Winter/Getty Photographs for ABA)
Given their feedback, it got here as a shock to some that Trump praised KISS as “a global phenomenon” throughout his Kennedy Heart Honors remarks on Wednesday.
“They made a fortune, and they’re great people, and they deserve it,” he stated. “They work hard, and they’re still working hard.”
Along with the Rock & Roll Corridor of Famers, the 2025 Kennedy Heart honorees embrace disco queen Gloria Gaynor, “Rocky” star Sylvester Stallone, nation singer George Strait and British theater actor Michael Crawford.
Trump, himself, stated he’ll host the Dec. 7 occasion in Washington, D.C.
Initially Revealed: August 15, 2025 at 1:29 PM EDT
