Gene Simmons has responded to Kanye West‘s recent antisemitic comments, saying the rapper should surround himself with “nicer people” and urging him to take medication.
The KISS bassist made the comments during a recent interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, where he was asked if he thinks Jewish people should accept an apology from West for his recent antisemitic outbursts, which saw his Instagram and Twitter accounts both suspended and drew widespread criticism.
Speaking to Morgan on the show, Simmons — who is Jewish — said he’d never met West, but “from everything I’ve heard… he sounds really wounded, he sounds hurt, so he’s lashing out.”
“I’m not a doctor. I’m not a physician. I don’t know much about Ye or Kanye,” he continued. “If there’s medication, I respectfully urge for the gentleman to take the medication. If he’s surrounded by the wrong people, get some nicer people.”
Simmons added: “Let’s be clear about this: African-Americans have been tortured physically, mentally, culturally for decades, centuries, but you’re talking to a people who’ve heard this story and have been tortured mentally, physically for thousands of years.”
“Jews have done well, let’s be clear, because they worked for it. But don’t kid yourself — racism, anti-Semitism exists right next to each other, and we’re all victims in some way or the other by the ruling establishment.”
The episode — which aired on Thursday (October 20) — also featured an interview with West himself, with the rapper initially refusing to say sorry for his comments. He later offered something of an apology over a particular tweet that referenced “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE”.
“You know, I will say, I’m sorry for the people that I hurt with the ‘death con’,” he said. “I feel like I caused hurt and confusion, and I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through, and that I used my platform where you say ‘hurt people hurt people’ – and I was hurt.”
West’s antisemitic outbursts have been numerous in recent weeks, blaming “Jewish media” and “Jewish Zionists” for alleged wrongdoings while on the Drink Champs podcast, saying “Jewish people have owned the black voice” and that “the Jewish community, especially in the music industry… they’ll take us and milk us till we die.”
He also made similar antisemitic comments on Fox News, LeBron James’ talk show The Shop and during a recent interview with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo, where he said that he “doesn’t believe” in the term antisemitism.
Last week, West’s most recent label Universal Music Group shared a statement denouncing antisemitism and his bank, JPMorgan Chase, cut ties with him.