Rocking the boat? Kid Rock has made headlines for his controversial behavior and remarks over the years.
When the “All Summer Long” musician was honored with the Detroit NAACP branch’s Great Expectations Award in May 2011, critics argued that the Michigan native’s habit of displaying Confederate flags at his shows conflicted with the organization’s values. The country rap artist defended his use of the flag — which is commonly regarded as a symbol of racism and white supremacy — while accepting the distinction.
“I’ve never flown that flag with any hate in my heart. Not one ounce,” he said at the time, claiming that flying the relic of the Civil War era was an homage to the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. “I love America, I love Detroit and I love Black people.”
The backlash to his NAACP award wasn’t the Grammy nominee’s first controversy involving a flag. During his appearance in the February 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, Rock donned an American flag that he had cut a hole in. The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization condemned his wardrobe choice as an act of flag defacement.
“That is just blatant, disgusting disrespect for the flag,” then-VFW national spokesman Jerry Newberry told the St. Petersburg Times after the incident. “We have people dying for that flag right now, and that just goes beyond any realm of understanding in my mind.”
The “Cowboy” singer has also had his share of drama in his personal life. At the September 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, he allegedly punched and slapped Tommy Lee during a heated argument. Although he wasn’t taken into police custody, the “Devil Without a Cause” musician was cited for misdemeanor battery. No criminal charges were filed in connection with the incident.
Rock and Lee were both married to Pamela Anderson in the past. Rock, however, claimed during a September 2007 appearance on The Kevin & Bean Show that their awards show brawl had nothing to do with the model.
“It has the farthest thing to do from that,” he said on the radio program. “If he’s smart, he’ll be like, ‘You know down deep you had it coming. Just leave it alone now. Go your own way.’”
The rap rock star and Anderson tied the knot in July 2006 after dating on and off for five years. That November, the Baywatch alum filed for divorce. The pair finalized their split early the following year. During a January 2023 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Anderson said that she knew the union wouldn’t last “right when I got married.” Although Rock never had children with the Barb Wire actress, he shares son Robert James, born in 1993, with ex-girlfriend Kelly South.
Keep scrolling for a look back at Rock’s controversies over the years:
