Gene Simmons Recalls How Cher Found Out He Had An Affair With Diana Ross

KISS icon Gene Simmons recently joined Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast and remembered when Cher discovered he was having an affair with Diana Ross.

The bassist and co-lead singer of KISS revealed how Cher discovered that he was having an affair with Ross, in a podcast interview. Simmons was dating Cher before he had a relationship with Shannon Tweed. Their relationship began around 1978 and lasted for a couple of years.

Cher and Simmons had an open relationship when they were dating. Although the kind of arrangement they had didn’t prevent them from loving each other unconditionally and there was still something that crossed Cher’s boundaries.

During their relationship, Simmons and Cher were living under the same roof together. However, Simmons fell in love with Cher’s then-best friend, Ross. Yes, they may have had an open relationship, but for Cher, it was inappropriate to see him having an affair with her close friend. Eventually, the two broke up, and Simmons began dating Ross.

In a recent podcast interview with Howie Mandel, Simmons recalled what happened in the past, “both are amazing women; there’s not a bad thing you can say about them. Wonderful mothers.” Mandel then asked him, “do you still talk to them?” Simmons responded:

“Sure. It was Christmas time. What do you get Cher for Christmas? So I asked her, ‘I don’t know what to get you; you got everything.’ And I’ve got to go back to New York to rehearse; we were going back out on tour. She said, ‘My best friend Diana’s there, just call her up and tell her I told you. She should take you shopping; she knows what I like.’”

When he was asked how Cher found out he was with Ross, he replied:

“I wasn’t privy to the conversations, but soon after that, I bought a place for Cher in New York on Fifth Avenue, and she had her designer design it. It was a penthouse on top of 64th Street. It’s still a lovely place overlooking the Children’s Zoo. As a matter of fact, it was an amazing place.

“The elevator comes right into the place, you know, all the accouterment. By the time it was finished, I had to go back out on tour. Then Cher noticed I didn’t stay there and that I was staying a few blocks away with Diane at her place. So, she said, ‘What’s going on?'”