Rock legends rarely stay retired, and now Twisted Sister has officially joined that list. In a new interview with John "JP" Parise of Long Island’s 102.3 WBAB and Tampa’s 102.5 The Bone, frontman Dee Snider explained why the band is reuniting in 2026 for its 50th anniversary, despite his past criticisms of farewell tours.
“First of all, I own [my previous] statements [about not wanting to stage a Twisted Sister reunion]. I said that and more. I singled out bands. I named names. I ranted and raved about this, and I expected to get excrements for this, but I'm getting hit hard,” he confirmed (via Blabbermouth).
His reversal comes with some very personal reasons. “I'm not gonna lie, and I can only tell you so much, but this is the total truth,” Snider said. “I turned 70 this year, and I had a health scare. And I'm okay… And it shook me up… I won't say [exactly what it was], and I'm okay. But it really made me re-evaluate a lot of things. [When I was] 40, 50, 60, I thought I was superhuman. Twisted Sister retired 10 years ago when I was ripped to shreds. And then [at] 70, something happened and it was a re-evaluation, quite honestly. And part of that re-evaluation was looking and saying… Am I ready to go? Well, you never know when you're gonna go quietly to the night. You never know when your time is up. And do I really wanna do that without rocking one more time.”
Snider admitted that he had even stopped his solo performances in recent years, only occasionally jumping on stage with artists like Bret Michaels of Poison or Lita Ford. But after talking it over with his wife, he was the one to make the call to his old bandmates.
“And upon talking to my wife and re-evaluating, it was I, me, who called the [other] guys [in Twisted Sister]. I called them. They never called. I mean, we talk, but they never brought it up because I was, like, 'This is not happening, guys. It is done. It is over, just like I told everybody.' But, like I said, I had a life-changing experience and re-evaluation of a lot of things, and I reached out. I said, 'Guys, what do you think about doing it one more time?'”
The 2026 lineup will include Snider, founding guitarist Jay Jay French, and longtime lead guitarist Eddie Ojeda. Notably absent will be bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza, who has opted out of the reunion, with Snider describing the reasons as “irreconcilable differences”. Taking his place will be Russell Pzütto, a familiar face from Snider’s solo projects. Behind the drums will be Joe Franco, who briefly played with the group in the mid-1980s, stepping in for A.J. Pero, who passed away in 2015.
