Bret Michaels Denies Pay Dispute Claims, Targets 2027 for Poison Anniversary Tour

Bret Michaels rejected claims that he demanded six times the pay of his bandmates. Financial discussions never happened. The frontman shared during a recent interview that Poison plans to launch a 40 Plus One anniversary trek in 2027.

"Well, I'm gonna answer that honestly. It never happened," Michaels said, according to AOL.com. "We never got to that part of negotiations. What happens — when you start this, they ask me to put together solo numbers and an average, and that's the first part we turn in."

Talks stalled, and the singer had scheduling conflicts with his solo commitments. Tour planning shifted to 2027 last summer when venues wanted answers about his solo availability for 2026 dates.

Drummer Rikki Rockett claimed last week that the 40th anniversary tour fell apart because Michaels wanted $6 for every dollar the other three members would earn. The anniversary marks four decades since the band's 1986 debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In.

"We're just gonna call it hopefully '40 Plus One,'" the vocalist said. "But I can tell you this — as this thing got further down the road … Remember, when you're booking stuff, we're already booking stuff solo into '27. So this just got backed up. And I'm hoping that, as a founding member, obviously that would be a great day, and I'm positive we can make that happen in '27."

Michaels pushed for private discussions instead of public negotiations. The four members have stayed in contact for 45 years and should resolve issues themselves, he said.

"We're all friends. And if you wanna discuss something, we have each other's phone number for the last 45 years. Just call me. No offense. I love Rikki. I love Bobby. I love C.C. Don't negotiate on the air. Just call me on the phone, and we'll work out what[ever needs to be worked out]. We've worked it out for 40 other years. Let's work out what we need to work out," he said.

Poison last headlined shows in 2018 on the Nothin' But a Good Time Tour with Cheap Trick. Their most recent performance together came in 2022 as part of The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, and Joan Jett.