Who Is Gene Simmon’s Wife Shannon Tweed? Kiss Singer Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

Gene Simmons, the co-lead singer and bassist for the rock band Kiss, was accused of “unwanted, unwarranted sexual advances” in a lawsuit filed Friday. Simmons, 68, is currently married to Shannon Tweed, who appeared with him on the long-running A&E reality show, "Gene Simmons Family Jewels."

Tweed, 60, is an actress and model born in Newfoundland, Canada. She began dating Simmons in 1983 and the two got married in 2011. Together they have two children, Nicholas Tweed-Simmons, 28, and Sophie Tweed-Simmons, 25.

Tweed’s modeling career got started with Playboy magazine in 1981. She appeared on a Canadian televisions show “Thrill of a Lifetime” which helped people achieve their dreams, and the show arranged for the aspiring model to appear in Playboy magazine. She eventually became Playmate of the Year in 1982. Tweed lived at the Playboy mansion for a little over a year and dated Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner. She met Simmons while living at the mansion.

Tweed’s appearance in Playboy helped launch an acting career. She began acting on television and then transitioned into B-movies, mostly focused around sex comedies and erotica. Her first film role was in the movie “Of Unknown Origin,” followed by “Hotdog…The Movie.” She also had featured roles in the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” and the HBO show “1st & Ten.”

Tweed, Simmons and their children all appeared on “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” from 2006 until 2012.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in June 2011, Simmons discussed an episode of the reality show in which the couple discussed his infidelity. Simmons, who has claimed to have slept with “4,800 groupies,” said that “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Nobody's perfect, and neither am I.”

He also expressed the importance of Tweed to keep him grounded.

“I need Shannon in my life. Not just because of love and family but because she holds me accountable.”

The lawsuit against Simmons was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by an unnamed radio and television broadcaster. The suit alleges that during an interview in November, Simmons took the broadcaster’s hand and forced it on his knee, touched the woman’s buttocks and “forcibly flicked/struck” the woman’s throat. The interview took place at Rock & Brews, a Southern California restaurant Simmons owns with bandmate Paul Stanley at San Manuel Casino in San Bernadino County.

The suit also alleges that Simmons made a number of “uncomfortable” sexual innuendos while answering interview questions.

“My client is embarrassed and humiliated by the incident with Mr. Simmons,” said the “Jane Doe’s” attorney Willie W. Williams to the San Bernardino Sun. “She filed suit because she wanted to make a strong statement that this behavior is unacceptable and she wants to see an end to this type of behavior.”