In an unexpected twist at the White House on Friday, rock musician Gene Simmons, famously known as the bassist for Kiss, made a surprising appearance in the briefing room, temporarily taking center stage. While President Donald Trump attended the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center, Simmons stepped up to the podium, accompanied by his wife, Shannon Tweed, and son, Nick Simmons. As reporters quickly surrounded him, eager for a scoop, Nick cautioned his father, humorously warning, “The longer you stand up there, the higher the chances you get canceled.”

Simmons’s visit to Washington is twofold: he’s set to be honored at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday—an event hosted by President Trump—and he plans to testify before the Senate on Tuesday. His testimony will support the American Music Fairness Act, a proposed law mandating radio stations to compensate artists for their music.

From the White House podium, Simmons passionately advocated for the act, asserting, “If there’s an artist who’s heard on radio, they should get paid.” He criticized radio stations for amassing billions by using artists’ likenesses in their promotions. “Can the artists that we all admire from Sinatra to Elvis have a little bit of that? Would that be OK?” he pondered aloud. Simmons expressed confidence in the bipartisan support for the bill, noting, “This is our bipartisan bill that will get passed because the president is very pro-artist.”

Earlier this year, Trump hosted Kid Rock in the Oval Office and signed an executive order that cracked down on ticket scalping, a practice artists generally dislike because it prices out parts of their fanbase. Simmons pointed out that America was the birthplace for the ‘music of the world.’ ‘Rock and roll, blues, jazz – most of it from black music, of course – country western, hip-hop was invented right here and we’re letting our artists, the voices of America, American culture, get by, working hard on their craft, and not getting paid,’ the Kiss rocker added.

Simmons answered another question and started answering another – on free speech – when Tweed decided it was time for her husband to go. She whistled at him from the seating area of the briefing room, with son Nick standing next to the door. ‘Simmons, your times up. Seriously, we’ve gotta go,’ Tweed said. When a reporter asked what was on his schedule for the rest of the day – and if he would meet with Trump, he started to divulge his plans.

‘The rest of the day, we’re going to have dinner, am I allowed to say?’ Simmons asked his wife. ‘No,’ Tweed answered, prompting laughter. Simmons then acknowledged he would be meeting with Trump, as is customary for Kennedy Center Honorees. ‘I respect the presidency,’ he said. Tweed walked to the front of the briefing room to grab her husband from the stage, dragging him out the door.

‘It was wonderful to talk to me,’ Simmons cracked at reporters as he made his exit. Son Nick then floated a warm relationship with Trump adding, ‘I call him Donny.’ This wasn’t the first cameo Simmons has made at the Trump White House. The Daily Mail captured Simmons and Tweed taking in a Marine One departure from the South Lawn in May 2019. During that trip, Simmons took selfies with reporters and popped into the Pentagon’s briefing room.