Alex Van Halen Calls Sammy Hagar a “Complete Idiot,” Red Rocker Responds

In a recent interview, Alex Van Halen, the drummer of Van Halen, called his former bandmate Sammy Hagar a "complete idiot." This was one of the rare times the drummer acknowledged Hagar in years. The comment came when Alex was speaking with Brazilian music journalist Marcelo Vieira. Vieira was translating Alex's memoir Brothers to Portuguese for the Brazilian market.

Alex was asked about the two respective autobiographies of Van Halen's most famous singers for the Brazilian magazine Roadie Crew. Regarding David Lee Roth's Crazy from the Heat, the drummer stated, "It's quite fun and accurately reflects [David’s] sense of humor. Although the text is somewhat abstract and loses its train of thought at times, it's still a very interesting perspective on that era."

However, when it came to Hagar's Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, Alex remarked, "I don't know what he wrote, and I don't wanna know. In my opinion, Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot." Hagar's memoir, released in 2011, exposed some of the "dark side" of Eddie Van Halen's life, an aspect that Hagar himself regretted including after Eddie's death in 2020.

A post about the interview with Alex Van Halen was shared on Instagram by rockcelebrities1. In response, Sammy Hagar commented, "This comment and post is so unnecessary at this time in our lives, but I guess the truth hurts sometimes. Peace already." Hagar is currently preparing to launch his "Best of All Worlds" Las Vegas residency, which will feature his all-star backing band, including Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani, and Kenny Aronoff.

Tickets for the residency are available online. Hagar had invited David Lee Roth to join him for the residency following the cancellation of DLR's solo tour, though it remains to be seen if the former Van Halen frontman will make an appearance.