Sammy Hagar Brags About Making 6 Times the Income of David Lee Roth and Claims 'He's Not a Fun Guy'

In a recent interview on Steve-O's Wild Ride Podcast, the former Van Halen singer discussed his famed rivalry with the band's original singer

It's safe to say Sammy Hagar still prefers Van Hagar.

In a recent interview on Steve-O's Wild Ride Podcast, the former Van Halen singer pointed out that David Lee Roth, the band's original singer, hasn't been as fortunate as Hagar with his solo career.

"I was selling out arenas. I was selling out amphitheaters," said Hagar, 75, who went on to claim that Roth, 68, was struggling to do anywhere near the same.

"Dave, he had that sort of a big album, one kind of a big album, but he didn't have a solo career. He was playing small places," Hagar continued. "So when he came in with me, he was making, like, $25,000 a night, I was making $150,000 a night, and they said, 'Oh you guys are gonna make the same money. Dave gets to make 150.'"

Hagar recalled of his reaction: "'He ain't f---ing made 150 in his life except in Van Halen!' But I said, 'I've gotta do this.' So I bent over backwards. And he still always tried to f--- with the rules."

A rep for Roth did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Related:David Lee Roth Says He's Retiring: 'I've Given You All I've Got to Give'

Ahead of Hagar's interview, Steve-O teased, "It is unbelievable how rich and frankly, scandalous, this guy's history is with Van Halen — he said he got kicked out of every band he's ever been in and man, the amount of money this guy has made is shocking, like unbelievable."

Related:Joe Perry Says Aerosmith Considered Replacing Steven Tyler with Sammy Hagar: 'Every Band Has Ups and Downs'

Hagar also took a dig at Roth personally, saying he "ain't like his persona."

"He's not a fun guy. He doesn't play well with others. I'm not sure what his problem is," said Hagar. "He just always is about, 'How can I make this guy look bad? And not just me — in life. He's a chest-beating motherf---er. And God Bless him, 'cause the early stuff is frickin' great."

Not stopping there, Hagar then zeroed in on Roth's vocals as of late, saying he "doesn't care about singing. If he did, he'd take care of his voice or he'd take voice lessons and get warmed up and do something — the guy sang so bad last time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing."

As for Roth, he announced to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in October 2021 that he was done performing.

"I am throwing in the shoes. I'm retiring," Roth said. "This is the first, and only, official announcement. You've got the news. Share it with the world."

He added, "I'm not going to explain the statement. The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows."

The original Van Halen frontman, known as "Diamond Dave," had been touring with the band throughout the summer. He rejoined the band in 2006 after more than 20 years apart. Hagar, for his Van Halen reign, was dubbed the "Red Rocker" and took over for Roth from 1985 to 1996.

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The band's co-founder, Eddie Van Halen, died in October 2020 after a years-long battle with cancer at age 65.

Van Halen is one of the top 20 bestselling artists of all time and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

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