KISS Co-founder Gene Simmons recently asked his fellow celebrities to “shut up” about politics. Earlier this week, the musician was stopped on the street by TMZ and asked about Ben Stiller calling out the Trump administration over a clip.
On March 5, the official X (formerly Twitter) account for White House shared a video titled “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.” The clip was a montage of actual “unclassified” footage from Operation Epic Fury in Iran, combined with several clips from movies like Tropic Thunder, Top Gun, Braveheart, and video games like Grand Theft Auto.
The White House post quickly went viral, with critics and fans flocking in to share their thoughts. Among them was Ben Stiller, who didn’t like the administration using a clip from his film to boast about their Iran strikes.
Taking to X, Stiller wrote, “Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”
Gene Simmons says celebs should shut up about politics 😬 pic.twitter.com/zYdhZdCfLY
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 10, 2026
TMZ asked Gene Simmons what he thought of Stiller’s response. “It sounds like a lot of people are criticizing Trump, like in Hollywood right now. You know, over this war thing. Is that fair?” the reporter asked.
In response, the KISS star said, “Yeah, because everybody in the world should listen to what actors and comedians say. Because they’re so qualified.” The Israeli-American musician continued, “Basically, they should shut the f— up. Do your art and shut up. Nobody’s interested in your opinions, that includes me, who I vote for, who I like. Who the f— do you think you are?”
Simmons did not stop here as he continued, “People in America work hard for their living. And they don’t want to be lectured to by people in their mansions, who drive Rolls-Royces. It’s time for everyone in the entertainment industry to shut their piehole and just do your art. Nobody cares what you think. I don’t.”
The Rock and Roll All Nite musician also took a jab at Mark Ruffalo, who has previously strongly criticized the Trump administration’s ICE operations. “What will Mark Ruffalo — or however the f— he pronounces his name, Ruffalo, Buffalo — what does Mark think about politics? I don’t care… Go to Kylie Jenner and ask her what she thinks of the war so far,” Simmons said.
However, his response fired up the critics who took to social media to label him a hypocrite. “The man who built a brand on controversy is telling everyone else to stay quiet. The irony is doing a lot of heavy lifting here,” wrote one user.
“Gene Simmons telling celebrities to stay out of politics while being a celebrity who just commented on politics. The self-awareness left the building with Elvis,” another wrote.
Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip. We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie. https://t.co/dMQqRxxVCa
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) March 6, 2026
A third added, “Gene Simmons says celebs should shut up about politics? Maybe he should take his own advice and shut up about everything.” A fourth noted, “This is America. Anyone can say whatever they want. Stop trying to end free speech. It’s up to you to not listen.”
