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Gene Simmons Says He Was a ‘Jackass’ for 29 Years, Wife Shannon Tweed Forgave His ‘Trespasses’  (Exclusive)

Gene Simmons opened up exclusively to Us Weekly about his relationship with his wife, Shannon Tweed, and admitted she forgave him after he made a lot of mistakes.

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“In the interest of full disclosure, I have been married for more than five or six years. For 29 years … I was a jackass,” Simmons told Us on Friday, May 18. “And it’s a family show and I don’t wanna say anything that moved. I don’t wanna say that. And the astonishing thing about women is … I don’t know why, but you forgive our trespasses over and over, every single day. Guys wouldn’t do that.”

Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed attend the 2016 Women of Influence Awards at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed attend the 2016 Women of Influence Awards at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

He added: “I believe that women see the big picture. For one thing, you give life. We just work here. We can’t do anything. We can’t ask for directions, we can’t do that … We don’t understand the emotional component. We’re just not designed that way.”

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The Kiss rocker, 68, and the actress, 61, tied the knot in front of 400 guests in Beverly Hills in October 2011 after 28 years together. They have two children together: Nick, 28, and Sophie, 25.

Simmons, who recently partnered with the Canaccord Cannabis Conference, did not go into the specifics about his “trespasses,” but he admitted in September 2011 before he wed Tweed that he had been doing “a lot of wacky stuff for an awfully long time.” He previously claimed that he had slept with almost 5,000 women and had polaroids of every encounter.  In December 2017, he denied allegations made by a radio personality that he groped and made unwanted advances toward her.

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The Moneybag soda creator also opened up to Us about his kids.

“I am the most blessed guy, I think, who ever walked the face of the planet. And Shannon and I have two wonderful kids, and you can’t call them kids. Nick is almost 29. Sophie’s 25. Nick, he doesn’t wanna talk about his height, but he’s 6-foot-8,” he explained, adding that Sophie is “the head of the family.”

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