In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal in support of his new football-themed reality series 4th and Loud, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons voiced his support for L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was famously banned from the NBA after he was caught on tape going on a racist rant. Though Simmons is quick to point out that he doesn't support what Sterling said, he believes it was unfair that Sterling was punished for something he said in private.
"I'm on the side of Don Sterling," Simmons admitted. "I'm on Mel Gibson's side, Don Sterling's side and anybody who has a racist or an expletive rant privately. The difference between this guy, who's heinous, of course, or anybody else is that they were caught...He was caught on camera, by the way, without his approval. He was ambushed. I think he should have done penance and paid a fine."
Simmons goes on to say that if more people had their private conversations recorded without permission, then most people would be revealed as racially insensitive. "Here's what's going to happen," Simmons says, "They're going to go after Sterling and he's going to put a few million dollars out there, because he can afford it - and he's going to ask the paparazzi out there to find videos of all the other team members talking trash and racist rants. And then it's open season. And if, because you say an off-color joke or make a racist rant privately, that causes you to lose a job - nobody would have a job! Black people do it, Jews do it, Christians do it - everybody does it! It's called America. Free speech. Even if free speech insults other people. Privately, publicly, that's different."
Earlier on in the interview, Simmons addresses another controversial topic in the world of sports: the Washington Redskins. When asked if he thinks the Redskins should change their name, Simmons agrees that they should, saying, "You've got to make the change. It was launched at a time when white people weren't sensitive to the idea that you're actually insulting an entire race of people."
Gene Simmons' new reality series 4th and Loud premieres on AMC on August 12 at 9 pm.
