Monday, May 25, 2026

KISS Frontman Gene Simmons Said to Be Next Friars Club Roastee, After the Late Jerry Lewis

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friars officersExclusive The Friars Club– under investigation and on the heels of a settled sex harassment lawsuit–will induct new or old officers on Thursday night. Not being asked back as Scribe is Bruce Charet, subject of that very lawsuit. He’ll be replaced by Bill Boggs, whom everyone likes.

This doesn’t mean Charet won’t be around. “He just won’t have a title,” says a source.

Meantime, the Friars are having trouble with their roasts. They had wanted Harvey Weinstein all year but their own scandals had made Weinstein decline the invite. Now I’m hearing that since Weinstein will never be available, the Friars are going to have some kind of dinner honoring the late Jerry Lewis late next month. That should be a load of laughs.

Even more curious could be a winter-spring roast of KISS front man Gene Simmons. He’s at the low end of rock stardom. So hold on that news. Alan King must be turning in his grave.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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