Sammy Hagar has hit back after his former Van Halen bandmate Alex Van Halen called him "a complete idiot" in a new interview. The drummer made the remark while discussing the memoirs written by his former bandmates, praising David Lee Roth's book but dismissing Hagar's, saying he had no interest in reading it. The exchange reignites long-standing tension between the two musicians, who have had a famously strained relationship since Hagar's Van Halen tenure ended.

Van Halen made the comment to Brazilian journalist Marcelo Vieira, who translated his 2024 memoir Brothers for the Portuguese market, in an interview for Roadie Crew magazine. After the remark was shared online by an Instagram account, Hagar responded that the comment was "unnecessary" but that "the truth hurts sometimes", signing off with "Peace already". The article also references comments Hagar made to Rolling Stone last year, in which he speculated that lingering resentment over the Cabo Wabo nightclub business — which he took over from the band and later turned into a major financial success — may be behind Alex's hostility.