Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949 in Haifa, Israel) is an Israeli-born American hard rock bass guitarist and vocalist. He is best known as "The Demon", his blood-spitting, fire-breathing, and tongue-wagging persona in the hard rock band Kiss, an act which he co-founded in the early 1970s.
Gene Simmons Family Jewels is an American reality television series that premiered on A&E on August 7, 2006.
The show follows the life of Kiss bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons, his longtime partner Shannon Tweed, and their two children, Nick (born 1989) and Sophie (born 1992).
The show is similar to The Osbournes in that it follows a rock star and his family through their everyday lives with interesting and often comical results, with the exception that the Simmons family gets along for the most part.
The first and second seasons have been released on DVD. A&E renewed the series for a second season featuring 20-episodes, which began on March 25, 2007. On June 8, 2007, A&E also renewed the series for a 24-episode third season. The show is the second highest rated show on A&E, only behind Dog the Bounty Hunter. Shooting for season three has begun.
