Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, is one of the few artists who publicly supports the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, and was willing to perform at his inauguration events. His performance at the MAGA Victory Rally the day before the 2025 inauguration made headlines because of his dynamic 4-set performance, but what many don’t know is how tight Kid Rock and Donald Trump are behind the scenes.
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The two, unsurprisingly, share quite a bit of common ground. Both have built careers based on controversy, come from a background of wealth and privilege, and have even reportedly discussed political issues together. Kid Rock’s decades-spanning career is bound to make him some close confidants, as well as some enemies, and his debatable behavior has done exactly that. From a four-month-long marriage to his father passing away in 2024, here are some tragic details about Kid Rock’s life.
He had to perform some treacherous gigs when he was first starting out
Everyone has to start somewhere, and for Kid Rock that was DJing in grimy basements. During a 2017 episode of “The Big Interview with Dan Rather,” he opened up about where he laid his roots. “There was dangerous stuff going on. There was a lot of drug dealing, there [were] guns, there would be a lot of fights in these parties,” he said of his early gigs in Detroit, Michigan. Still, these experiences were ultimately what taught him about the world, and music. “It still was a hell of an education. … everything that I had soaking in taught me how to be a more worldly person in a lot of ways, just to be able to see a lot of different sides of things and be able to judge people, judge cultures, judge things, and be a little more open-minded about it,” he said.
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It’s safe to say he put that knowledge to use when expanding his award-winning, genre-defying career. In the emotional interview, he went on to express how he’s been able to tap into his love for the art form to keep him going when the going got tough. “Several times in my life when I’ve been very down, very hurt, I’ve always gone back to my first love: music. It’s always worked out pretty well.”
That it has; those early days of DJing parties trajected him straight into getting signed with Jive Records at just 17 years old in 1989. The rest, as they say, is history.
He has a tumultuous relationship with the mother of his child
Unfortunately, Kid Rock and high school sweetheart couldn’t go the distance due to some cracks in the foundation. The musician began dating Kelley South Russell before they even started high school, but as with any teenage relationship, it was met with its peaks and valleys.
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Their son, Robert Ritchie Jr., was born in 1993, and Rock had sole custody of him since he was 2 because of Russell’s reported drinking problem. In 2000, Rock and Rusell were back in court because she thought his touring schedule would prevent him from spending an adequate amount of time with their son. That October, they finally agreed that she would have more visitation rights so long as she paid him $25 per week and provided his health insurance. When speaking with the Detroit Free Press after the case was closed, Russell’s lawyer remarked: “He was absolutely, positively insistent that she pay child support. His position is that she needs to assume responsibility, my opinion is this is punishment.”
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The musician has been vocal about his angst for the baby mama drama, most exemplified by his 2003 track, “Single Father.” In the song, he sings: Single Father / Part Time Mother. When I’m Not One / Then I’m The Other.” He closes the tune with, “Why There’s Just Two / When There Should Be Three Of Us. Sharing This Moment / Lord I Feel So Alone.”
His marriage to Pamela Anderson was short-lived
Kid Rock’s relationship with Pamela Anderson was a rocky road that didn’t see its conclusion at the end of the aisle. After they met in 2001, the famed model sent the rockstar an Easter basket full of goodies in hopes of getting her message of interest across, and her plan worked perfectly. According to a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone, Kid Rock then invited her to visit him in Detroit, thus setting off their whirlwind romance. He got on bended knee a year later, but they called off their engagement shortly after. That could have been the whole story, had it not been for a certain aquatic vessel.
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In July 2006, fate would bring Anderson and Rock back together in St. Tropez during a boat day with a mutual friend. “It was like, ‘Let’s just f****** get married and get it over with,” Rock recounted to Rolling Stone, and just like that, the wedding was back on. Later that same month, they would have one of their weddings in the same location that brought them back into each other’s lives, followed by a ceremony in California and another in Tennessee, in August 2006.
It wasn’t long before the star-crossed lovers were experiencing some trouble in paradise, as they filed for divorce in November 2006. Once again, the story could have ended there, but in true tock ‘n roll fashion, there was a fistfight when Rock punched Anderson’s ex, Tommy Lee, at the 2007 VMAs. “This was unavoidable. I had to do what I had to do because this was a long time coming. … It was even more disrespectful after everything he’s said, I was like that’s enough, that’s it,” Rock said on “The Kevin & Bean Radio Show in 2007” (via People).
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He’s been criticized for a lot, to say the least
Kid Rock’s expansive career has been marked by his anything-but-ordinary personality, which has both aided in his claim to fame, while also never failing to land him in hot water. The musician has been subjected to scrutiny over the past several years because of his political opinions and outwardly scandalous takes, but it seems as though he’s too set in his ways to see the error in his behavior.
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Rock ruffled many feathers by utilizing a Confederate Flag throughout his past tours. Protesters marched against him and the use of the flag outside of an NAACP event, where he received an award in 2011. Defending himself at the podium, he remarked (via NBC News): “I love America, I love Detroit, and I love Black people.” He reportedly hasn’t flown the flag publicly since the event, but he has certainly used homophobic and transphobic language, bombarded other celebrities online, and even pulled out a gun during an interview with Rolling Stone.
It was in May 2024 that Rock sat down with David Peisner for the cover story. The interviewer mentioned that the musician had been drinking consistently when all of a sudden the tone jerked completely off the rails. “He’s sitting in a dark leather chair, shouting at me about something or other, when he reaches behind the seat, pulls out a black handgun, and waves it around to make some sort of point.” He then quoted Rock, “And I got a f****** g****** gun right here if I need it! I got them everywhere!”
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He’s dealt with significant loss
Kid Rock has had to mourn the deaths of some of the people closest to him in recent years. Back in 2016, his assistant, Michael Sacha, got into an ATV accident on his property. In a statement on his website, Rock wrote that he was, “beyond devastated,” continuing: “He was a member of our family and one of the greatest young men I have ever had the pleasure to not only work with, but also to become friends with. I know I speak for us all in sharing my deepest condolences to his family. I can not imagine how they must feel.”
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In 2024, the musician lost another prominent figure in his life, his dad. Rock took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his grief. “My Dad, Bill Ritchie Sr, moved on to be with Jesus yesterday. He was an incredible father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and so much more, none shy of being quite the character! Thank you for your condolences in advance. God Bless you and I love you Pop!” He then signed the tweet with his real name and linked out to his song “Drinking Beer with Dad.” Fans provided their support by posting thoughts and prayers in response to his announcement. Bill Sr. had died after being diagnosed with prostate cancer 14 years earlier; he was 82.
