What is Gene Simmons’s net worth?
| Net Worth: | $400 Million |
|---|---|
| Age: | 72 |
| Born: | August 25, 1949 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Country of Origin: | United States of America |
| Source of Wealth: | Professional Musician |
| Last Updated: | August 2, 2022 |
Table of Contents
Introduction
Gene Simmons is the legendary rock star co-founder of the 70s rock band, KISS. This internationally famous group has made Gene and his fellow band members enormously wealthy.
However, Simmons’ wealth didn’t come from the actual music itself, although it helped, of course.
Through licensing agreements on merchandise, Gene and the band placed their logo and iconic name on more than 5,000 different products, from t-shirts to pinball machines.
As of November 2022, Gene Simmons’s net worth is estimated to be $400 Million.
Gene Simmons Facts
- Gene Simmons is his stage name, but his actual birth name is Chaim Witz.
- Even with his rockstar persona, Gene doesn’t drink or do drugs, as his mother wouldn’t like it.
- Gene’s hair caught on fire at the band’s first concert in 1973, when he performed a fire-breathing stunt.
- He created a TV series called Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels, which gave the viewers an inside look into the rock star’s life.
- One of KISS’s biggest hits, “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” is one of Gene’s least favorite songs to play, as he believes his voice sounds like his grandmother when he sings it.
- Gene is multilingual, being fluent in German, Hebrew, Japanese, Hungarian, and English.
Early Life
Chaim Witz was born August 25, 1949, in Haifa, Israel.
His family are Holocaust survivors, with his mother, brother, and uncle the only family members to survive a Nazi concentration camp.
Gene and his mother left Israel when Gene was 8 and the two moved to Queens, New York City.
After moving to America, Gene took on a more American-sounding name, calling himself Eugene Klein.
His mother saw that he was passionate about music and bought him his first guitar, but after a while, Gene decided to change over to the base, which he believed would help him get into a band more easily.
While at high school, he put together his first band called Lynx, which was shortly after renamed, Missing Links.
Gene moved on to a new band called The Long Island Sounds while attending Sullivan County Community College. He then transferred to Richmond College, where he earned a degree in education and started teaching grade school Spanish.
To supplement his teaching work, he became an assistant to the editor of the Vogue and Glamour magazines.
While working alongside the glamorous editor, he decided to change his name to Gene Simmons, which would go on to be one of the most famous names in rock music worldwide.
Shortly after that, he joined a band called Bullfrog Beer, taking his first major step in his music career that would eventually lead him to meet Paul Stanley.
Career
Once Gene met Paul, they decided to team up and form a band called Wicked Lester, which was immediately successful as they signed a deal with Epic Records.
The band’s first album was a disaster, so Paul and Gene set out to become one of the best bands in the world.
They teamed up with Peter Crisis, a drummer, along with guitarist Paul Frehley, marking the start of the legendary band, KISS.
Their manager suggested that they wear full-stage makeup as a way to stand out from other bands and the fans loved it.
They released their first album in 1974, which was popular, but the next two albums were a bust. To build momentum, the band decided to perform live, and with Gene’s fire-breathing stunt, built their reputation for performing amazing live shows.
They recorded their first show and the album went on to reach quadruple platinum status. The band played for 5 years and was incredibly successful, but they ultimately decided to pursue their solo careers.
After pursuing their solo careers, the band decided to get back together but was met with backlash from their fans. The makeup and Genes theatrics were not impressing the crowds anymore, so they decided to play without makeup or any other unusual gimmicks.
This new look helped the band grow in popularity, but it wasn’t working for them, so Peter Criss was voted out of the band and replaced with Paul Charles (stage name Eric Carr), who played for KISS up until he died in 1991.
In 2013, Paul Stanley and Gene teamed up with Doc Mcghee to become part owners of the LA Kiss Arena Football League team.
With the band’s decline, Gene released some solos, which you can see more of on his official Instagram account, and focuses on his publication, the Gene Simmons Tongue Magazine.
Gene Simmons’s Career Earnings
Gene earned hundreds of thousands of dollars from his stage performances and album sales, but the real money was in licensing deals he helped negotiate.
It is believed that Gene Simmons now earns a salary of over $34 million annually.
Here’s an estimated overview of Gene Simmons’s annual income:
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2013 – $25 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2014 – $26.4 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2015 – $25 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2016 – $28 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2017 – $29 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2018 – $29.5 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2019 – $28 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2020 – $30 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2021 – $32.5 million
- Gene Simmons’s Salary In 2022 – $34 million
With sales of KISS merchandise still ticking along, Gene and his fellow band members continue to enjoy the financial rewards of their iconic status.
Gene Simmon’s Net Worth Annually
Despite the rockstar persona and garish makeup, Gene is a down-to-earth individual with a head for numbers and an excellent grasp of investment strategy.
Here’s a breakdown of Gene Simmons’s annual net worth:
- Gene Simmons’s Net Worth In 2017 – $260 million
- Gene Simmons’s Net Worth In 2018 – $280 million
- Gene Simmons’s Net Worth In 2019 – $320 million
- Gene Simmons’s Net Worth In 2020 – $350 million
- Gene Simmons’s Net Worth In 2021 – $375 million
- Gene Simmons’s Net Worth In 2022 – $400 million
By investing the money he received from the band’s live performances and commercial deals, Gene has amassed enormous wealth.
Personal Life
Gene is currently married to Canadian actress, Shannon Lee Tweed. The two were dating for 28 years before getting married at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2011 and have two children, Nick and Sophie.
In the past, Gene dated various stars, revealing that while still dating Cher, he had a crush on Diana Ross.
Gene is known for his playboy lifestyle and boastfully claims that he has had one-night stands with more than 5,000 women. He also reveals that he has a picture of every woman he has been with along with the hotel key of where he shared his one-night stands.
Awards & Achievements
In true rockstar fashion, Gene has participated in some outrageous stunts, the main one being his fire-breathing acts at live performances.
KISS is known for their outrageous stage shows and Gene was instrumental in ensuring that each tour was an extravaganza of new material and stunning visual entertainment.
Here are some of the more memorable moments from Gene Simmons’s career:
- Gene was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
- In 2020, Gene won the Guinness World Record for “Highest Flame Projection in a Music Concert” and “Most Flame Projections Launched Simultaneously in a Live Concert”
- Gene was awarded the Golden Medal from the Circle Artistic de Barcelona in 2014.
- In a surprising move, he was given the key to the city of Winnipeg in 2011.
- In 2012, he received the Golden God award from Revolver magazine.
Gene Simmons is now focused more on his editorial endeavors and rock music has taken a bit of a backseat.
How Does Gene Simmons Spend His Money?
Gene had a mansion in the suitably celebrity-filled Beverly Hills which was valued at over $37 million.
Gene and his wife are big supporters of multiple charities, such as Barabara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, Kids Wish Network, and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
His daughter shares his philanthropic side and has opened a charity foundation called Sophie’s Place, which helps benefit children.
Gene loves to drive, and bought and sold the most expensive cars in the world while living the high life of a rock legend.
Highlights
KISS was a niche rock band with a dedicated following and fans who loved Gene’s antics on stage. But he not only excelled on stage, Gene took his inspirational ideas and turned them into movies as well.
Here are some of the best highlights of Gene Simmons’s career:
- The band’s first live album, “Alive!”, was highly successful and reached quadruple platinum sales.
- Gene managed the recording side at the beginning of Liza Minnelli’s music career in 1989.
- He has been a part of many television projects, such as Rock School, Mr. Romance, and Gene Simmons Family Jewels, also appearing in the famous series Miami Vice in an episode called “The Prodigal Son”.
- In 2015, Gene founded a film production company called Erebus Pictures.
- Gene’s record label, Simmons Records, released many of his solo songs and a few with famous bands.
Gene continues to work on his music but is not nearly as active as he once was, only occasionally releasing songs for his fans.
Favorite Gene Simmons Quotes
Never one to play things down, Gene is always an interesting celebrity to interview, with his funny stories and unique worldview providing plenty of soundbites.
He lives his life to the full, never asking permission or waiting for someone else to take the initiative.
Here are our favorite quotes from Gene Simmons:
- “I don’t wait for the calendar to figure out when I should live life.” – Gene Simmons
- “Life is too short to have anything but delusional notions about yourself.” – Gene Simmons
- “I like to approach every day like it’s the only day I will ever have.” – Gene Simmons
- “Marriage is an institution, and you must be fully committed to it.” – Gene Simmons
- “I fail all of the time. It means nothing.” – Gene Simmons
3 Amazing Lessons From Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an intelligent and astute celebrity with a pragmatic view of life.
Now that you know all about Gene Simmons’s net worth, here are some of the best success lessons to learn from Gene Simmons:
1. Live Every Day Like It’s Your Last
Gene decided to get the most out of every day as if it was his last day on earth. With this mindset, he has achieved the success and fame he always wanted.
2. Don’t Let Money Define You
Gene believes that money is the root of all evil, mainly due to you not having enough. With this in mind, he set out to make as much as he possibly could, but at the same time stayed true to who he really is.
3. If You Fail, Try Again
Don’t let failure be the end of your dream, rather let it be a lesson. Each failure gets you closer to your ultimate goal and lets you know what not to do in the future.
Summary
Gene is a legend in the music industry who created a whole new look for rock music by becoming one of the top performers of all time.
Despite his aggressive persona and no-nonsense attitude, Gene is a very giving person who does not let money define who he is.
He has achieved a lot in his life but has dialed down the wild side a bit now, content to live a little more quietly in Beverly Hills with his family.
As of November 2022, Gene Simmons’s net worth is estimated to be $400 Million.
