Inside Steven Tyler’s Feud With Kid Rock
By WILLIAM KENNEDY
Entertainment
A months-long feud began between Kid Rock and Steven Tyler when Kid Rock told Entertainment Weekly that Tyler joining "American Idol" was the dumbest thing he had ever done.
"[Tyler is] a sacred American institution of rock 'n' roll," Kid Rock told EW in October 2010. "And he just threw it all out the window. [...] I gotta speak the truth."
The next month at an "Idol" press conference, Tyler responded to Rock's criticism by saying, "[Kid Rock's] just jealous." Then, in December of 2010, they shared a tense moment.
The encounter was at Paul McCartney’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. Tyler recalled to Billboard, "I looked at [Kid Rock] and said, 'If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.'"
Tyler also told Billboard, "[Kid Rock's] comments don’t mean s***. [...] It just doesn’t mean anything in the great scheme of things. It's television. [...] It's going to be fun."
On the "On the Record with Fuse” show, Rock said, "I'm conflicted with that whole [American Idol] system. I don’t knock the kids for going [...] They're just trying to be stars."
Rock added, "But I disagree with the process of grabbing these kids before they've gotten out to experience some things — get some chops, get some scars."
Tyler was an "Idol" judge for two seasons before announcing his exit in 2012. He told Billboard, "I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back."