Alex Van Halen, the drummer of Van Halen, has publicly branded the band's former frontman Sammy Hagar "a complete idiot" in comments made earlier in 2026. The remark, made during an interview with Brazilian journalist Marcelo Vieira for the magazine Roadie Crew, reignites long-standing tensions between the two former bandmates and adds a fresh, blunt chapter to the group's often turbulent internal history.

Alex, 73, was speaking to Vieira, who translated the Van Halen memoir "Brothers" into Portuguese, and was asked to compare various band-related books, including David Lee Roth's 1997 autobiography and Hagar's 2011 memoir "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock". While Alex praised Roth's book as fun and reflective of his humour, he said he had no interest in reading Hagar's account, declaring he neither knew nor wanted to know its contents. Hagar fronted Van Halen from 1985, recording four US chart-topping albums, and last reunited with the band for a 2004 tour; his memoir previously drew scrutiny for candid remarks about the late Eddie Van Halen, which Hagar has since said he regrets including.