Highlights

• Shannon Tweed Simmons' cancer scare deeply affected Gene Simmons.
• Despite a somewhat tumultuous relationship, Gene and Shannon Tweed Simmons have stood the test of time.
• Gene Simmons has expressed his commitment to their marriage.

Throughout Gene Simmons' music career, the KISS bassist and singer has been known as a rock star. On top of that, Simmons spent many years building his reputation as the kind of rock star who would feud with his peers and be intimate with as many women as possible.

Given Simmons' reputation, many people have wondered why Shannon Tweed Simmons stayed with him for years and married him. Perhaps the aftermath of Tweed Simmons' cancer scare will help explain how their relationship has lasted against the odds.

How Gene Simmons Reacted To Shannon Tweed Simmons' Cancer Scare

In 2010, a memorable episode of Gene Simmons Family Jewels aired. During the episode, viewers learned that Simmons' longtime girlfriend at the time, Shannon Tweed Simmons, went through a cancer scare.

Around the time that episode aired, Simmons and Tweed Simmons appeared on the daytime show, The Doctors. Tweed Simmons described to the camera the moment that she came to believe that she might be suffering from breast cancer.

"I never had a connection to breast cancer until six of my friends were touched by it and then I had a scare myself. My sister and I went shopping... and um, we were trying on clothes and I noticed a little lump on my breast and she agreed with me that I should get it checked out, and we did."

As footage from Gene Simmons Family Jewels revealed, Tweed Simmons' doctor told her the lump had to be taken seriously. According to her doctor, the lump was, "not something that someone who's postmenopausal should just suddenly have in her breasts."

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After examining the actor, Tweed Simmons' doctor ordered a biopsy which thankfully revealed that she didn't have cancer. However, that kind of test result doesn't come back immediately, which meant that Tweed Simmons and Simmons were left wondering.

Since Simmons and Tweed Simmons were forced to worry about her health, that begs an obvious question; how did that affect their relationship? During their aforementioned appearance on The Doctors, Simmons described how he felt about Tweed Simmons' health scare. Early during their segment, Simmons admitted how scared he felt.

"Yeah, that was scary because Shannon is always taking care of her health, and she watches her diet, and the more I learned about it, the more I found out the scary facts."

Throughout the majority of the rest of the segment, Simmons remained silent. Given Simmons' infamously over-the-top personality, that was out of character for the rock star.

However, when the segment was almost over, Simmons spoke directly into the camera and addressed the male viewers. Given what Simmons said and how passionate he was, it seemed like Tweed Simmons' cancer scare really affected him.

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"I have to tell the men something. You know, I haven't said a word here. I know my place, but it's a really important point. What's happened recently as women have sort of gathered up the courage to speak to each other on shows like this and it's really important. Women talk to women about the important issues about women. But, this is a word to men out there. The person you care about enough to live with and support and do all this stuff, put pressure on her. Make her, sometimes we all get laxed, make her understand that her health is every bit as important to you and your family as to her. And force her to go [get checked out]."

According to a She Knows Gene Simmons Family Jewels recap, Simmons and Tweed Simmons tried to avoid chemicals in the aftermath of her cancer scare. However, that is the kind of thing that happens on reality shows that often seem to be fake.

In 2014, Gene Simmons' bandmate Paul Stanley told Rolling Stone that he never appeared on Gene Simmons Family Jewels because it wasn't real . “Because it wasn’t reality. To create a life that isn’t accurate and for me to be a part of it, or to help you promote something that I think is questionable...and, quite honestly, waste my time? You’re missing out on living a real life if you’re filming a fake one.”

What is very real, however, is what happened after Shannon Tweed's cancer scare was first revealed to the public in March 2010. On October 1, 2011, Shannon Tweed Simmons and Gene Simmons got married after dating each other for more than 27 years.

Are Gene Simmons And Shannon Tweed Simmons Still Married?

After Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed Simmons got married in 2011, many observers wondered if it would last. While the couple had been together for 27 years by that point, their relationship had been dramatic at times, including when she walked out on a joint interview.

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On top of the infamous interview walkout, Tweed Simmons revealed in 2013 that she almost left Simmons. During a YouTube video, Tweed Simmons spoke to Ron and Tina Konkin about why she came close to leaving Simmons.

"I told Gene that, you know, I'm aware of certain events and I really don't want to have this relationship anymore. I'm willing to have a relationship with you, but not this one. And so, you know, he agreed to work on it,"

More recently, in 2023, Gene Simmons spoke to The Guardian about his relationship with Simmons. During this interview, Simmons stated that if Tweed Simmons cheated on him, as he had done in the past to her, he wouldn't leave her.

"Would I ever leave if Shannon dilly-dallied like I had? No. Absolutely not, that will never happen. This will be the only marriage I ever have because my definition of marriage isn’t based on that stuff, it’s based on somebody who in a real sense will give their life for you."

How long have Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed Simmons been a couple, according to Who's Dated Who?

• Began dating on August 25, 1983
• Their son, Nick Simmons, was born on January 22, 1989
• Their daughter, Sophie Simmons, was born on July 7, 1992
• Engaged in February 2011
• Married on October 1, 2011
• Married to this day

Given that both seem to be willing to work on their relationship, it isn't overly surprising that Simmons and Tweed Simmons are still married as of this writing.

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