Gene Simmons’ Net Worth: Pre-Kiss, Rockstar Was a Teacher and Editorial Assistant
Gene Simmons Net Worth pictured: Gene Simmons | (Photo by Gregory Bojorquez/Getty Images)
Hayley Hynes
7 min read
In the world of rock and roll, Gene Simmons’ name is synonymous with his on-stage alter ego, The Demon. When it comes to money matters, the father of two feels more similar to a shark, as he told BBC in 2015. “Life is a business, and I approach life the way a shark approaches life – they must keep moving, or else they will drown,” he said at the time. “I’ll never stop hunting more money. I’ll never have enough… I live to make more money. People who say that money is the root of all evil are morons. A lack of money is the root of all evil.”
Seeing as the 74-year-old was born into a poverty-stricken family in Haifa, Israel, it’s no surprise that financial security is a top priority for him. His mother was a survivor of the Holocaust, feeding her child rationed bread and milk to get by in the first years of his life. By age seven, Simmons had a knack for business, picking wild fruit with the help of a friend and selling it on the roadside. He eventually relocated to Jackson Heights in Queens, New York, where The Beatles first influenced him to pursue a career in the arts. He may have come from nothing, but a few decades of hard work and dedication have bumped Gene Simmons’ net worth into the hundreds of millions – read on to learn how he made his dreams come true!
What Is Gene Simmons’ Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the reality star is valued at $400 million as of April 2024. While he’s got an undeniably impressive resume, much of Simmons’ net worth comes from Kiss licensing deals, which have been approved for upwards of 5,000 products including condoms, comic books, pinball machines and lunch boxes. The band’s brand has reportedly generated over $1 billion in licensing deals since its origin in the 1970s. Elsewhere, the musician’s famous tongue is said to be insured for $1M, though he’s never officially confirmed this.
How the Kiss Co-founder Made His Millions
1970s and 80s
Even before Kiss released their self-titled debut LP in 1974, Gene Simmons was a busy man. During high school he started his first band, Lynx (later renamed Missing Links) but that eventually disbanded and he formed The Long Island Sounds afterward. While music was obviously his passion, the Haifa-born entertainer still saw his post-secondary education through, attending Sullivan County Community College and Richmond College to obtain his degree in education. For a short time, Simmons taught at Spanish Harlem school, but he also found work as a personal assistant for the editor of Vogue and Glamour magazines.
When he eventually connected with Stanley Eisen (better known as Paul Stanley), the “Deuce” singer felt he found something truly special. They formed Wicked Lester and signed a deal with Epic Records after just seven shows, however, the album they recorded wasn’t supported or released by the label, causing them to walk away from their contract. Rather than admitting defeat, the duo felt motivated to create “the band that would rule the world,” which led to the development of Kiss with help from drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Paul Frehley (known as Ace Frehley). Apart from his vocal and musical contributions to the group, Simmons was also a driving force behind their extensive merchandise options.
As Kiss soared to success in the mid-70s, the multi-talent tried to help others follow in his footsteps. He signed a management and production contract with Van Halen before producing their demo tape, but when attempting to find a record deal for the band, nothing materialized. In 1978, Simmons shared his self-titled solo LP and around this time he made notable expansions to his acting resume too, from Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park and Tomorrow to Runaway and Miami Vice. By the early 80s, Kiss’ popularity was dwindling, but to reignite interest they made a major change and stopped wearing their flashy stage makeup which made them the center of attention once again. When the decade came to an end, Simmosn had launched his own record label, and took on the responsibility of managing Liza Minnelli’s entry into mainstream pop music.
90s and 2000s
Moving into the 1990s, things in the music industry began to change more rapidly than ever before, but Gene Simmons and Kiss somehow always found a way to adapt. Hosting their own fan convention in 95 brought in enough attention to support their Alive Worldwide reunion tour from 96-97 and the next year, the famous rockers shared their Psycho Circus LP. Still eager to expand his resume, the author produced the 1999 movie Detroit Rock City, in which he also played himself.
In 2001, Simmons released his first book, Kiss and Make-Up, detailing his experience as a founding member of one of the world’s biggest rock groups. As his wealth continued to grow substantially, Simmons continuously donated money to charity, winning $32K on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, $500K on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and another $20K on The Celebrity Apprentice before being voted off in the third episode. Outside of those TV appearances, you might’ve seen (or heard) the music mogul on programs like Family Guy, My Dad the Rock Star, King of the Hill or Third Watch.
His short-lived men’s lifestyle magazine, Gene Simmons’ Tongue was launched in 2002, followed by the Kiss: The Early Years book in tandem with Stanley. After that, the controversial star released another biography, Sex Money Kiss before finally unveiling his solo sophomore album, Asshole. The 2000s saw Simmons make a deep dive into the world of reality television, heading to the UK for Rock School, appearing as a guest judge on American Idol, launching his Mr. Romance series on Oxygen and debuting his family’s show, Gene SimmonsFamily Jewels in 2006.
After several more stints on the small screen, in 2012, the “Beth” hitmaker ventured into the world of restaurants by launching the Rock & Brews chain with Stanley and other investors. Shortly after, the bandmates became part of the LA Kiss Arena Football League ownership group though the team has since folded. On the bright side, 2014 saw Simmons inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Kiss; to celebrate, he shared some of his business savvy secrets in a book called Me, Inc: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business.
Present Day
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Gene Simmons’ life has changed drastically from his humble beginnings in Israel, and though he’s now in his mid-70s, the last decade has been particularly exciting for him. For starters, in 2015, he founded his Erebus Pictures film production company, and found time to assist Lita Ford on her Time Capsule LP. For superfans, Simmons unleashed The Vault in 2017, offering all of his major works in one collection for $2,000.
While he’s proud of living a sober lifestyle himself, the New York-based rock icon was named the Chief Evangelist Officer of a Canadian cannabis company, Invictus MD Strategies, in 2018. That same year his book on The Legend and Mythology of the 27 Club and he co-wrote songs on Ace Frehley’s Spaceman album. More recently, Simmons has been keeping busy as a judge on the Hulu Japan talent series, Yoshiki Superstar Project X.
In 2024, Simmons and Kiss co-owner Stanley made major money moves by selling their rights to Kiss’ song catalogue, image, likeness and name for $300M; this deal also included their publishing rights and master recordings. The buyer was a Swedish music investment company called Pophouse, which first gained prominence for creating a live avatar version of the band ABBA. It’s believed that the same business could create avatar-touring versions of Kiss in the future, though it’s unclear how that might impact Gene Simmons’ net worth moving forward.