Gene Simmons said what a lot of Americans have been thinking, and he did it on the biggest stage possible. On July 3, the night before America’s 250th birthday, the KISS bassist performed at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and used a moment between songs to deliver one of the most unapologetically pro-America speeches you’ll hear from anyone in the entertainment business.
“You are blessed,” Simmons told the crowd. “You are living in the greatest fucking country on the planet. And that’s called USA.” He reminded everyone that tomorrow wasn’t just another day off work, it was America’s 250th birthday, and the fact that 20 to 30 million people have been willing to break the law just to get here proves exactly how good this country is. We have more illegal immigrants than most countries have populations on the face of the planet,” he said. “That’s a fact.”
Simmons knows what he’s talking about, and not from a PowerPoint presentation. He was born in Israel in 1949 to a mother, Flóra Klein, who survived three Nazi concentration camps and a ghetto in Budapest. She and young Gene came to America legally, waiting in line and respecting the process. Gene Simmons Milwaukee Summerfest speech He made that point crystal clear on stage: “I came through the lawful way. You wait in line, you respect the country, you respect its laws, and then you become a citizen of the United States of America.”
In return for following the rules, Simmons said, you get police who risk their lives for you, fire departments, first responders, and a school system. “Cops, fire department, school, free,” he said. “All you gotta do is follow the law and do it legally.” Seems like a pretty reasonable deal, but don’t hold your breath waiting for that speech from Hollywood.
Simmons also revealed he had to catch a 5:00 a.m. flight after the show because the White House asked him to narrate a World War II veterans honors ceremony in Washington, D.C. for the 250th anniversary celebration. He dedicated the moment to veterans everywhere, telling the crowd that without them there would be no America, no fireworks, nothing. “Politicians talk the talk but veterans put their lives out there,” he said. “All gave some, some gave all.” He even called out Starbucks customers, telling them to step aside and make way when they see someone in uniform. You know, the kind of common-sense advice that apparently qualifies as controversial these days.
Simmons closed the whole thing out with one clean, no-asterisks line: “And if you don’t like America, please go back to where you fucking came from.” His mother survived Nazi concentration camps and their entire family was wiped out in the Holocaust. She still waited years to enter America the right way. If she could do that, Gene figures nobody has much of an excuse.
The man came from nothing, followed the rules, and built one of the most recognizable brands in rock and roll history, all in the country he loves. Meanwhile, celebrities who promised to leave after the last election are still somehow here, still complaining, and still very much not in Zimbabwe. Gene Simmons, American by choice, is narrating a veterans ceremony at the nation’s 250th birthday party. The rest of Hollywood is posting sad emojis. Seems about right.
