Rock star and reality TV icon Bret Michaels has been in the spotlight for decades.
But there's still a lot about his life that may surprise you. Here are some details you might not
have known about Poison's charismatic frontman, from his charity work to his lifelong condition.
Bret Michaels has spent much of his time giving to charities and doing philanthropic
work for those in need. After getting his music career off the ground in the '80s,
Michaels — who's been a lifelong diabetic — decided to help children suffering from illnesses.
In an interview with Global News,
Michaels explained what made him develop his need to help others.
"I was the only diabetic kid in my entire elementary school,
and they started a diabetic camp, and that's where my philanthropy
came from. I would go there every year, at camp or as a counselor."
The singer would later send other diabetic kids to a similar camp,
work with Make-A-Wish Foundation, and form the Life Rocks Foundation.
Bret Michaels' struggles with diabetes also shaped
his work ethic and need to succeed. In an interview with Music News in 2020,
Michaels mentioned the hard times he experienced, turning negatives into positives.
"From the beginning I was always a guy who thinks positive. I find a way to get it done. I would run
out of insulin and my parents would have to help, or they couldn't send it out in time,
I would literally go down to the clinics in Hollywood, and they'd give me insulin. It all made
me resilient and determined, and most importantly, grateful when the second half came along."
He told Dan Rather,
"Without a doubt, being a diabetic made me grow up
really quick and was 1000% a driving force behind what I would become."
When Michaels and his bandmates in Poison were beginning to rise in popularity,
they did so as an independent band, doing much of the work a major record label
would normally do. Bret Michaels couldn't have been more proud of their early days,
toughing it out while climbing to the top. He explained that their first
studio release from 1986 wasn't exactly the glamorous event you might expect.
"My big signing day and signing party for Look What the Cat Dragged In was sitting on a floor
in El Segundo, California, shrink wrapping my own albums. You know those stories about
private jets and limos? I'd love to tell you that happened, but none of that happened."
Fans of Rock of Love can't forget the famous Bel Air Mansion that served
as the backdrop and holding pen for Michaels' many hopeful lovers each season. But it turns out
Michaels didn't actually live there, as the mansion was basically a giant prop.
During an Ask Me Anything interview on Reddit, the former producer of the show explained that
while the girls would all live together in the mansion, Michaels had his own place off set.
"He did not stay in the house with the girls. He would go back to his crib,
and production would call him to come back for challenges or if drama was going on."
When one of the women would get mad or sad,
the producers would give Michaels a call and fill him in on the drama. Then he'd return
to the house and stage an entrance to make it look like he had been there all along.
"We would have him come in through his room [so]
as to make the appearance that he was staying at the house."
Another thing you may not know about Bret Michaels
is who he's voting for — and that's because he doesn't want you to know!
However, it may be obvious who he backed during the 2016 and 2020 elections given his past history
with Donald Trump. Back in 2009, Michaels appeared on Celebrity Apprentice and competed to help raise
funds for a charity supporting diabetes research. And before Michaels appeared on the show, he'd
actually met with both Donald Trump's sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, while doing previous fundraisers.
As a result, he has had nothing but good things to say about the first president to
ever face two impeachments. In 2016, Michaels told The Times,
"I've never seen him do anything but talk about
America and being an entrepreneur. And it really fires people up. I really,
truly believe, if we give him a chance, I think he's going to do a great job."
Now that Trump's presidency is over, Michaels hasn't offered his opinion on
whether or not he feels Trump actually did a, quote, "great job." But in 2019
Michaels told TribLive that his focus wasn't on politics but on helping people.
"I won't talk politics, but I'll talk solutions. I feel this:
If you really want to get stuff done, you've got to find solutions.
You don't want to get into political battles because the only people that suffer are the
people in need of medical attention, the people in need of education, better jobs."
"I learned a lot from watching Donald Trump."
Bret Michaels may not reveal who he's voting for,
but he will tell you the latest products your pet will love. Yes, it may sound odd,
but the hard rock legend has begun a second career as a designer of pet accessories.
Back in 2012, Michaels and Petsmart teamed up to create a Pets Rock Collection of toys, apparel,
beds, doo-rags, vinyl boots, a guitar-looking toy, and a tour bus toy - all for animals. He
was inspired to help his furry friends when, in 2010, the unconditional love of his pet German
Shepherds Diesel and Phoenix helped him recover from heart surgery and a brain hemorrhage.
Michaels told People,
"I'm a drealist. I'm a dreamer with a creative brain, but I'm also a realist. One idea may
sound great, but let's try to get this on the dog. It's all meant to be a lot of fun."
If only the world had more drealists like Bret Michaels.
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