Poison’s Bret Michaels Responds to Drummer Anniversary Tour Cash Claims

This was supposed to be the year that glam metal veterans Poison celebrated the 40th anniversary of their beloved debut 1986 studio album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. And while longtime fans were primed to see the classic lineup of singer Bret Michaels, drummer Rikki Rockett, guitarist C.C. DeVille and drummer Bobby Dall tear through such hair rock classics as “Talk Dirty to Me,” “I Want Action,” “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and 1988 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Rockett recently seemed to throw cold water on those plans.

The drummer reportedly told gossip site Page Six on Sunday (Jan. 18) that the long-running group had a “great offer” on the table that didn’t work out after he, DeVille and Dall signed off, but Michaels’ demands proved too onerous. Rockett claimed Michaels “wanted the lion’s share of the money, to the point where it makes it not possible to even do it,” suggesting that Michaels was demanding “$6 to one of our dollars.”

Michaels reacted to Rockett’s claims in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Jan. 21) in which he called Rockett his friend and said he always considered the core of the band to be himself, DeVille, Dall and Rockett — DeVille left the band in 1991 and returned in 1996 — while adding that he also makes “no bones about loving the BMB [Bret Michaels Band] and will always have both in my life.”

And while the singer and former reality TV star did not directly address Rockett’s financial claims, he appeared to leave the door open to a get-back at some point in the future. “Bottom line – I love music, I love the fans and I’m always forever grateful,” Michaels wrote. “Onward & upward and let’s all focus on the positive in 2026, and the potential of a future reunion.”

People reported that Rockett shared a statement in reaction to Michaels’ post in which he said, “I’d love for that to happen!”

In November, SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk said that Michaels had texted him and said, “‘Hey, I hear you’re gonna have Rockett on. Send him my love and tell him Poison 2026.’” Rockett excitedly responded, saying, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. ’26 is for sure gonna happen… I mean, unless some unforeseen thing happens, but all band members have stuck their hand in and said, ‘Yeah, we’re definitely doing it – without a doubt.’”

The last time the group hit the road was a 2022 tour with Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe. Earlier in 2025, Michaels told fans that he planned to take “most, if not all, of 2025 off” due to some “physical adversity” he was dealing with related to his “diabetes, a brain hemorrhage, skin cancer” and what he described as a case of “headbanger’s neck.”