Sammy Hagar Responds After Alex Van Halen Calls Him a ‘Complete Idiot’

Alex Van Halen called Sammy Hagar a “complete idiot” during an interview with Brazilian music magazine Roadie Crew, reigniting a long-simmering feud between the two former Van Halen bandmates. Hagar answered the jab in the comments section of an Instagram post on Saturday, telling his former drummer to make “peace already.”

• The Roadie Crew interview was conducted by journalist Marcelo Vieira, who translated Alex Van Halen’s own 2024 memoir “Brothers” into Portuguese.
• Alex Van Halen is 73; Sammy Hagar is 78.
• Hagar fronted Van Halen from 1985 to 1996 and again briefly in 2004 before parting ways with the band for good.
• Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 at age 65 from throat cancer.

What Did Alex Van Halen Say About Sammy Hagar’s Memoir?

Vieira asked Alex Van Halen about the memoirs written by Van Halen’s two former frontmen, Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth. Turning to Hagar’s 2011 book, “Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock,” the drummer didn’t mince words: “I don’t know what he wrote, and I don’t want to know. In my opinion, Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot.”

Alex Van Halen was noticeably warmer about Roth’s memoir, “Crazy from the Heat.” He described it as fun and true to Roth’s personality, calling it “a very interesting perspective on that era,” even while noting the writing could feel “somewhat abstract” and occasionally lose “its train of thought.”

How Did Sammy Hagar Respond?

Once the comments circulated in a post from the Instagram account Rock Celebrities, Hagar weighed in directly beneath it rather than letting the remark slide. “This comment and post is so unnecessary at this time in our lives, but I guess the truth hurts sometimes,” he wrote. “Peace already.”

Why Alex Van Halen’s Comments Touch a Nerve

Hagar’s 2011 memoir went into detail about Eddie Van Halen’s struggles with alcoholism and the friction that built up inside the band, material that has continued to color the relationship between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers’ camp. Hagar has since said he came to regret how harshly the book was written, particularly after Eddie Van Halen’s death.

Speaking on the “Rock This With Allison Hagendorf” podcast in 2021, Hagar reflected on his state of mind at the time he wrote the memoir. “I kind of wish I would have been a little more conservative about the Van Halen years,” he said. “But I was angry when I wrote the book. They threw me out of the band, and they did it ruthlessly.”

The strain between Hagar and the Van Halen brothers was also visible at Van Halen’s 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, which only Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony attended, since Eddie Van Halen was in rehab at the time.

Sammy Hagar and the Unreleased Eddie Van Halen Music

Despite the friction, Hagar has signaled he’d set aside the dispute for the right reason. Earlier in 2026, he told USA TODAY that if Alex Van Halen, who has been working on unreleased Eddie Van Halen material, ever reached out to him, he “would drop just about everything, except for my live shows” to take part.

Tension between the two also flared in 2024 when Alex Van Halen released his own memoir, “Brothers,” which left out Hagar’s decade fronting the band. Hagar called that omission “blasphemy” against Eddie Van Halen’s musical legacy, arguing it ignored the songs the two of them wrote together during that era.

More Info

• Alex Van Halen Calls Sammy Hagar a "Complete Idiot," Red Rocker Responds | consequence.net
• Sammy Hagar Calls for "Peace" Amid Ongoing Feud with Alex Van Halen | news.ssbcrack.com
• Alex Van Halen calls ex-bandmate Sammy Hagar a ‘complete idiot,’ Hagar reacts | usatoday.com
• “Peace already”: Sammy Hagar responds to Alex Van Halen calling him “a complete idiot” | guitarplayer.com
• Sammy Hagar hits back at Alex Van Halen’s "complete idiot" jibe | faroutmagazine.co.uk
• What happened with Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen? Feud explored as singer responds to Van Halen drummer calling him an “idiot” | aol.com
• What happened with Sammy Hagar and Alex Van Halen? Feud explored as singer responds to Van Halen drummer calling him an “idiot” | soapcentral.com
• Sammy Hagar Reacts to Alex Van Halen’s ‘Complete Idiot’ Comment | ultimateclassicrock.com