Alex Van Halen has spent years ignoring Sammy Hagar. In his memoir Brothers, he never once mentioned his former bandmate by name. But when asked about Hagar’s 2011 book Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, he finally spoke — and the words were harsh. “I don’t know what he wrote, and I don’t want to know,” Van Halen said. “In my opinion, Sammy Hagar is a complete idiot.”
Unsurprisingly, Hagar had plenty to say about that. In a new interview with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM, he fired back with a joke that turned the silence into a punchline. “Guilty as charged, first of all,” he said. “I’m probably the most successful idiot on the planet.” Then he mocked Van Halen’s refusal to acknowledge their shared history. “Dude, we all know, you act like there was never a Sammy Hagar. You act like there was never a ‘Van Hagar.’ We sold 40 some million records, [had] four Number One albums and you just scratch that off of your brother’s legacy, saying no, that never happened.”
The Numbers Behind the Silence
The scale of what Van Halen refuses to acknowledge is large. Hagar listed the facts:
- 40 million records sold
- Four Number One albums
- Years of touring with Michael Anthony, playing full sets of Van Halen classics
Hagar also pointed to a specific grievance. He told Rolling Stone in 2025 that he believed Alex Van Halen’s anger stemmed from Cabo Wabo, the tequila brand Hagar built. “I’ve had this conversation with a few people, including [former Van Halen manager] Irving Azoff,” he said. Some people told him, “Oh, Cabo Wabo. At one time, Van Halen, when you built it, you guys were all partners in that. And then they didn’t want it anymore when it was losing money, and they gave it to you, and you turned it around and made hundreds of millions of dollars on it. And they’re angry. Alex is angry about that.”
What Hagar Wants From Van Halen
Hagar’s frustration runs deeper than the tequila dispute. He believes Alex is also upset that he and Anthony keep touring while Van Halen cannot. “He’s not a singer. He’s not a guitar player. He is not really a band leader. And he seems like he doesn’t want to play drums or can’t play drums anymore, and he can’t go write a new record,” Hagar said. “Alex wasn’t the songwriter in the band. Eddie and I wrote the songs. Dave and Eddie wrote the songs, and so we can go out and do them.”
He asked Van Halen directly: why won’t you say what the problem is? “Come clean, what’s your problem? Just come out and say it. Is it the book? Say it. Cabo Wabo? Say it. Maybe if I knew what your problem was, I could fix it. But right now he just acts like there’s not a problem, it just never happened.”
The Las Vegas Show and the Reunion Question
Hagar is about to resume his Best of All Words residency at the Park MGM in Las Vegas. The show features Anthony, guitarist Joe Satriani, and drummer Kenny Aronoff. The set leans on Van Hagar hits like “Poundcake,” “Why Can’t This Be Love,” and “Right Now.” They also sprinkle in Roth-era songs like “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” and “Panama,” plus Montrose’s “Bad Motor Scooter” and Hagar’s solo hit “I Can’t Drive 55.”
David Lee Roth toured earlier this year but called off the final dates. He reunited with Alex Van Halen at a Ted Talk, marking their first public appearance together since the final Van Halen concert in 2015. Hagar said he would react warmly if Van Halen reached out. “Oh come in, oh 100%, I’ll grab him, I’ll kiss him right on the lips,” he told Trunk. “I’d treat him like the person that I used to love and I could still love.”
Key Facts Box
– 40 million records sold
– Four Number One albums
– 240-page memoir Brothers by Alex Van Halen
– 2011 book Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock by Sammy Hagar
What Hagar Wants From Van Halen
1. A public admission of what the problem is
2. A clear statement about why he is angry
3. A chance to address the Cabo Wabo partnership
4. Recognition of their shared history
The irony is that Hagar’s response is far warmer than Van Halen’s. He offered a hug and a kiss. Van Halen, by contrast, has spent years pretending the other man never existed.
Source material: “Sammy Hagar Fires Back at Alex Van Halen: ‘You Act Like There Never Was a Van Hagar’,” Rolling Stone.
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