According to the New York Daily News, The Friars Club has canceled its March 2 roast of Gene Simmons. Confidential has learned that the legendary club nixed the tribute in light of recent allegation of sexual impropriety against the KISS bassist.

As it happens, Simmons was picked to be honored after the club chose to cancel its roast of Harvey Weinstein because of charges of sexual misconduct against the disgraced movie mogul. The decision comes the same day a reporter from Australia’s Daily Telegraph said she walked out on a 1990s interview — the only time she’s done so in her career — after comments by Simmons made her uncomfortable.

The San Bernadino Sun reported last week that KISS icon Gene Simmons is being sued by a TV and radio broadcaster, claiming he made sexual innuendos during an on-camera interview on November 1st and later groped her buttocks.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges the plaintiff, identified as “Jane Doe,” arrived with her crew at the restaurant, which was celebrating its recent expansion at the casino, to interview Simmons and his longtime KISS bandmate and Rock & Brews co-founder, Paul Stanley.

According to the lawsuit, during the interview, which occurred on a couch in a designated “green room,” Simmons reached over and grabbed the woman’s hand and “forcefully placed it on his knee and held it on his knee.” The lawsuit states the woman immediately removed her hand from Simmons’ knee.

Simmons, the lawsuit states, continued his “unwanted, unwarranted sexual advances” by reaching for the woman’s hand again.

“Defendant Simmons turned standard interview questions into sexual innuendos, which made plaintiff Doe extremely uncomfortable,” according to the lawsuit, noting that Simmons grabbed the woman’s hand again, made a cooing sound and said she “must use lotion” before making another sexual innuendo. He then “forcibly flicked/struck” the woman in the middle of her throat, then provided an “incoherent explanation” for doing it after noticing the woman’s shock, according to the lawsuit.

Read the complete article here.

Simmons has since issued a statement proclaiming his innocence via Facebook:

"Friends, I intend to defend myself against any alleged charges you may have been reading about in the media. For the record, I did not assault the person making these accusations in the manner alleged in the complaint or harm her in any way. I am conferring with my lawyers with the aim of vigorously countering these allegations. And I look forward to my day in court where the evidence will prove my innocence."