title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 14 March 2007, Kadyrov said that human rights abuses were "a thing of the past" in his republic, rejecting new charges of torture made by the Council of Europe. Two days later he accused the federal authorities of torturing detainees. On 19 March 2007, Kadyrov vowed to put an end to all remaining guerilla activity in Chechnya within two months. On 5 April 2007, Kadyrov was sworn in as President of Chechnya. He appointed his maternal cousin Odes Baysultanov as the Prime Minister of the republic on 10 April.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: After the car-bomb attack on Yunus-bek Yevkurov, president of the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia on 22 June 2009, Kadyrov claimed that the Kremlin had ordered him to fight insurgents there, and during his subsequent visit to the republic on 24 June pledged ruthless vengeance.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In late December 2009, Kadyrov claimed that remaining rebels were getting financed by "The West"; "I officially declare this: those who destroyed the Soviet Union, those who want to destroy the Russian Federation, they stand behind them". He also suggested that Russia should attack Georgia and Ukraine "It's Russia's private affliction; why should we always suffer if we can eradicate this for good?". In early August 2010, Kadyrov had claimed that there were only 70 Islamist militants left in Chechnya.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In the same month, he proposed changing the title of "President of the Chechen Republic" to "Head of the Chechen Republic". On 12 August, he also called upon presidents of all North Caucasus republics to petition the State Duma to change their titles, stating that there should only be one president in Russia. The Chechen parliament unanimously approved this change on 2 September. However, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov stated on 4 September that the title will be retained until the end of Kadyrov's term in April 2011.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In February 2011, he invited the players of Brazil's 2002 FIFA World Cup winning team to play a match against a Chechen football team led by Kadyrov. The Brazilian team was named as Brazil XI. In addition, Ruud Gullit was hired by Kadyrov to train FC Terek Grozny.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: An assassination attempt on Kadyrov and a parliament member Adam Delimkhanov was thwarted on 23 October 2009 by the police. Chechen Deputy interior minister Roman Edilov said the police shot dead the driver of a speeding car loaded with a 200-litre tank after firing warning shots shortly before Kadyrov was to arrive at a construction site. The driver of the car was later identified as a militant leader (so-called Urus-Martan emir Beslan Bashtayev).


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Said-Emi Khizriev, who played a role in organising the attack, was killed by Russian police who tried to arrest him in the Michurin village in Grozny. Khizriev planned and took part in explosions at two gas stations in Gudermes in the spring of the previous year, as well as in an armed attack at a sport club in the city.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: As reported by the Caucasian Knot, an independent human rights resource, on 5 February 2009, "in the course of his meeting in Grozny with Ramzan Ampukaev, representative of the Chechen Diaspora in Europe, Ramzan Kadyrov invited former militants, now living in Europe, to come back home":


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: "Now, the situation in the republic has stabilized, we witness a steady economic growth, and there's no sense for people to leave. And those who are already abroad, can always come back. We'll help them in every possible way," said Mr. Kadyrov. "All sorts of Emirs and former participants of illegal armed formations, who are now in Europe and whose actions were not aggravated by bloody crimes, have two alternatives: either to come back and serve for the welfare of their homeland, or stay there until the end of their days."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In 2010, two large scale attacks were carried out by Chechen insurgents, one in Kadyrov's home-village Tsentoroy and the other on Chechen Parliament in Grozny. The assault on Tsentoroy which occurred on 29 August is considered to have "shattered" the image of Kadyrov's unshakeable rule in Chechnya, as it was the first time in six years that his seemingly impregnable village had come under attack.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 2 September, Kadyrov announced a reward of more than $300,000 for information about each of the insurgency leaders involved in the operation, which Chechen commentators interpreted as an indicator of the government's weakness. Kadyrov also tightened his control over information coming from Tsentoroy by not allowing any of the village's 5,000 inhabitants to leave in the days after the attack. The citizenry were also allegedly under the threat of death not to talk about the siege or the damage inflicted by the rebels.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The attack on the Chechen parliament was carried out by three Chechen rebels on 19 October 2010. Kadyrov, dressed in a parade uniform, attended a meeting that was held a few hours after all the buildings of the parliament were declared cleared by the special forces. During the meeting, he apologised to the politicians who escaped unhurt from the attack. Kadyrov vowed to intensify the fight against militants in the republic, calling them "bandits". He also blamed the United Kingdom and Poland saying they were "harbouring criminals. Why do they shield bandits who have shed blood where there is western democracy? Where is the justice? ... Sooner or later Zakayev, Gakayev, Umarov, Vadalov and other criminals will get what they deserve ... I have no doubt that it was the drunk and alcoholic Akhmed Zakayev and his backers in London and other western capitals. I want to say that they will not achieve anything. The Chechen republic is still standing. It is a peaceful and stable region."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov was nominated to a second term as president (now referred to as Head of the Chechen Republic) by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 28 February 2011 and was unanimously elected for a second term by the Chechen Parliament on 5 March 2011. After his election, he stated that he was going to continue the current course of reviving the republic's economy and society.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 8 March, he captained a Chechen football team which included current players of FC Terek Grozny, former players of Soviet Union national football team and former German midfielder Lothar Matthaeus in a match against the team Brazil XI which included ex-Brazilian footballers like Romario, Dunga, Bebeto and Cafu. Kadyrov scored twice during the match but his team lost 6–4 to the Brazilian side. Kadyrov said that he had organised the match to show that Chechnya had recovered from years of separatist conflict. He also said that the Brazilians weren't paid to appear but came out of goodwill and in return for a donation to flood victims in Brazil.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov was sworn in as head of the republic on 5 April 2011. In November 2012, he visited Azerbaijan to sign intergovernmental agreements. In December 2012, he ordered the closure of the newspaper "Kadyrov's Path" after one of its reporters asked Putin a question about the violence once focused in Chechnya spreading to other republics and followed it up by asking about the fate of a local radio station. Kadyrov had reportedly taken a disliking to the question asked by the reporter to Putin.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov termed former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych's ouster as a "coup d'état" and a deliberate attempt to exert pressure on Russia through Ukraine, however at the same time placed the blame on Yanukovych for the situation in Ukraine. On 28 February 2014, he affirmed his readiness to dispatch peacekeepers and a consignment of humanitarian aid to Crimea.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: After the 2014 Grozny bombing, in which ISIL's hand was suspected, he said that he might block internet in Chechnya as anyone could easily find and listen to a sermon by a jihadist. After Kadyrov went on a tirade against ISIL on Instagram for threatening Russia, ISIL commander Omar al-Shishani put a $5 million bounty on him.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 26 May 2015, he announced that he was going to star in a Hollywood thriller titled "Whoever Doesn't Understand Will Get It" which will be directed by a director of famous Hollywood films and also feature global film-stars. Kadyrov in July 2015 denied that ISIL had any territory in Chechnya and claimed that they never will. During an interview in October 2015, he suggested that Putin should send Chechen special forces to Syria claiming they will wipe out ISIL in weeks. On 3 December, he promised revenge against ISIL for beheading of Khasiev. On 8 February 2016, he claimed that Chechen special forces had infiltrated ISIL cells.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov announced on 27 February 2016 that he would step down at the end of his second term, which was set to expire on 5 April. However, he later decided to run in the elections that were to be held that September. Putin appointed him as the acting head of Chechnya until the elections in a decree signed on 25 March.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov launched his reality show titled "The Team" with the first episode being aired by Channel One on 30 June. People from across Russia were invited by Kadyrov to register for the contest. The winner of the contest will go on to become head of Chechnya's Agency for Strategic Development.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 18 September 2016, Kadyrov was re-elected with nearly 98% of the vote. Philip Varychenko, a native of Düsseldorf, was chosen as the winner of Kadyrov's reality show on 22 November and was appointed as a government aide. Kadyrov visited Saudi Arabia on 27 November where he met the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. During the meeting, they discussed Russia–Saudi Arabia relations as well as issues of common interest. He also visited the United Arab Emirates on the same day and met Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The two discussed friendship, cooperation and strengthening ties. During his visits, he praised King Salman of Saudi Arabia for his "leadership of the Muslim world and efforts to combat extremism".


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 28 November, he stated that veterans of American special forces would not be allowed to train security and intelligence personnel at a "tactical city" in Gudermes because "they weren't as good as Russian special forces and there were sanctions against all official structures from the United States." On 29 November, he claimed in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that only a few dozen Chechens were fighting with ISIL, adding that most of them grew up in Western Europe. He also stated that measures taken by Chechen authorities had been successful in bringing back many young recruits before they reached Syria.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: During an interview aired on 27 November 2017, Kadyrov stated that he was ready to resign as Head of the Chechen Republic, calling it his "dream" as he found the responsibility to be "too heavy". He announced on 5 December that no Chechen athletes will participate under a neutral flag at the 2018 Winter Olympics.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: After an attack on the Church of Archangel Michael in Grozny on 19 May 2018, Kadyrov stated that he had personally overseen the operation to eliminate the attackers. On 26 September, he signed an agreement with Yunus-bek Yevkurov, the Head of Ingushetia, resolving the border dispute between the two Russian republics. The agreement seen as grossly unfair to Ingushestia ignited widespread protests eventually leading to resignation of Yevkurov on 24 June 2019.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov was given the rank of major general in July 2020, through an executive order of the Russian President. He added on his blog that he had been transferred from Ministry of Internal Affairs to the National Guard of Russia.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia, Kadyrov initially in March dismissed the spread of the disease as nothing serious. Later, Chechnya imposed strict measures to curb the spread of coronavirus after it first emerged in the republic. In an interview to Caucasian Knot, Kadyrov purportedly stated that infected people violating self-quarantine should be killed. People accused of spreading rumors have also been forced to admit their guilt and apologize on live television broadcasts by Kadyrov, though human rights organizations have claimed they were pressured.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In April 2020, Kadyrov announced imposition of even stricter measures in Chechnya to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In addition to a night curfew, the government also sealed off all transportation to regions outside the republic. Kadyrov meanwhile also denied that force was being used against those who defied the restrictions. After the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin criticized heads of Russian regions for overstepping the extent of their powers with the restrictions they imposed, Kadyrov commented that while he did not know if Mishustin referred to Chechnya, goods as well as entry into the republic were not barred. However, entry of non-Chechens into the republic would be banned to curb the spread of the disease.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 15 May 2020, Kadyrov in a live broadcast on the state-run Grozny TV stated that medical workers protesting over lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) must be sacked after one such protest occurred in Gudermes, claiming the republic had enough PPE. On 20 May, Kadyrov was reportedly flown to Moscow after developing "flu-like symptoms", suspected to be COVID-19. On 26 May however, Kadyrov attended a televised meeting in Grozny for taking steps against the coronavirus. The next day he stated that he had a right to be sick, without confirming if he had fallen ill. He also dismissed reports of using a catheter, stating he had a right to use it to boost his immunity.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kadyrov was reported to have been taking part in Russian operations outside Kyiv. In a video he posted on Telegram, he called on Ukrainian forces to surrender “or you will be finished”. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had no information about whether Kadyrov was in Ukraine. "The Telegraph" reported that on two occasions when Kadyrov had said he was in Ukraine, he was proven not to be. In one instance, he said he was in Mariupol at a petrol station and published a photo, but the pump in the background, Rosneft's Pulsar brand, does not operate in Ukraine. On another occasion, Kadyrov posted a video suggested he was meeting troops in Mariupol, but he hosted a Russian official in Grozny on the same day.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 26 May 2022, Kadyrov threatened Poland. He was apparently upset by the Polish supply of weapons to Ukraine.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 10 September 2022, Kadyrov, upset by the withdrawal of Russian troops in Izium, called for the declaration of martial law and full military mobilization in Russia. On 22 September 2022, Kadyrov said that the 2022 Russian mobilization would not be implemented in the Chechen Republic.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 1 October 2022, Kadyrov called on Russia to use low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, in response to Russia losing the important Ukrainian town of Lyman. Two days later, he announced he was deploying three underage sons, aged 14, 15, and 16, as child soldiers to the front line in Ukraine, a possible war crime.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 5 October 2022, Kadyrov announced that President Putin had promoted him from lieutenant general to the rank of colonel general.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In Chechen society, Ramzan Kadyrov is widely known under the nickname «Lyulya». There is also a version that this is Kadyrov's childhood nickname.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In 2006, the production of Chechnya's industry increased by 11.9%. In 2007, the rate of growth was 26.4%.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In February 2010, head of the British delegation of the Human Rights Group Lord Judd, formerly "bitterly critical of the Russian authorities for the situation in Chechnya", pointed out a striking change for the better in the Russian North Caucasus republic. Judd said that changes which occurred since his visit as a member of PACE delegation in 2000 were "so overwhelming that sometimes you forget about what happened here until quite recently".


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: According to a 2016 report by Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin, Kadyrov collected enormous wealth, primarily through theft of federal subsidies for Chechnya. Between 2001 and 2014 Chechnya has received over 464 billion roubles in subsidies, grants and donations with federal subsidies accounting for 80% of the republic's budget (and this does not include funds allocated for infrastructure managed at federal level such as roads). However, the administration of Chechnya is being criticized for spending public funds for their personal benefit—in 2010 Dmitry Medvedev noted that "federal funds often do not reach people; we know where they disappear; it is obvious-they are being stolen".


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: For example, the fleet of official vehicles in Chechnya accounts for half of all official vehicles in all Northern Caucasus republics. Public funds are being funnelled through Akhmad Kadyrov Foundation, which—while being registered as a charity—has never produced or published any financial reports as required by Russian law.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: These violations are ignored by Russian Ministry of Justice, which in many cases has enforced them very strictly against other charities. The foundation operates a building company that services most of the publicly procured infrastructure projects in the republic and also collects a fee from all working citizens of Chechnya, ranging from 10 to 30% of their earnings, raising 3–4 billion roubles per year this way. Kadyrov himself declares annual income of 4.84 million roubles (2015), which is inconsistent with his lavish life-style, luxury vehicles, watches, race horses and mansions.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In 2020 Proekt.media published an in-depth analysis of business operations of Kadyrov and Adam Delimkhanov who are allegedly running multi-million dollar businesses in Moscow through a proxy provided by businessman Pavel Krotov.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov has been personally implicated in several instances of torture and murder. A number of Chechens opposed to Kadyrov have been assassinated abroad, and several witnesses (including Artur Kurmakaev and Ruslan Khalidov) report the existence of a 300 name "Murder List". Chechens who have been murdered, where Kadyrov's involvement is suspected, include Movladi Baisarov and Ruslan Yamadayev (both Moscow); Sulim Yamadayev (Dubai); Gazhi Edilsutanov, Islam Dzahnibekov, Ali Osaev (Istanbul); and Umar Israilov (Vienna).


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov stated in December 2009 that he had personally helped many of the murder victims and their families and was not their enemy. "I don't want to kill, who did I fight? I fought terrorists. Who did I protect? I protected the whole of Russia so that people in Moscow or St. Petersburg...could live in peace. They accuse me of killing women and children. It's not true."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov has previously encouraged extrajudicial killings of homosexual men by family members as an alternative to law enforcement – in some cases, gay men in prison have been released early specifically to enable their murder by relatives.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In April 2017, international media reported that gay men in Chechnya were being arrested, detained and tortured as part of a region-wide pogrom. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 5 May that he would personally ask the Russian Prosecutor General and Interior Ministry to help Kremlin rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova check the reported abuse. UK Deputy Foreign Secretary Sir Alan Duncan told the UK Parliament he had been informed of alleged plans to eliminate Chechnya's gay community by the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which commenced on 26 May 2017.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Chechnya has denied the reports, with its interior minister calling the allegations an "April Fools' joke". Kadyrov's spokesman Alvi Karimov rejected the allegations and described the report in the Russian newspaper, "Novaya Gazeta", as "absolute lies and disinformation", basing his denial on the claim that "you cannot detain and persecute people who simply do not exist in the republic. If there were such people in Chechnya, the law-enforcement organs wouldn't need to have anything to do with them because their relatives would send them somewhere from which there is no returning." Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said that there had been no evidence found to support the allegations, adding that he had no reason to doubt Kadyrov's claims that no one under his rule has been persecuted for their sexual orientation.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In an interview with HBO's "Real Sports" aired on 18 July, Kadyrov said, "We don't have those kind of people here. We don't have any gays. If there are any take them to Canada. Praise be to God. Take them far from us so we don't have them at home. To purify our blood, if there are any here, take them." He added that gay people were "not human".


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Asked about the accusations of systematic torture, Kadyrov said, "They made it up. They are devils. They are for sale. They are subhuman. God damn them for slandering us."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 20 December 2017, the United States imposed sanctions under the Magnitsky Act on five Russian nationals including Kadyrov, accusing him of personal involvement in repression, torture and murder. U.S. officials accused him of heading "an administration involved in disappearances and extrajudicial killings," and that one or more of his political opponents were killed at his direction. He was added to United States Department of the Treasury's blacklist which also included a Chechen security official Ayub Kataev along with three other Russian individuals for their criminal involvement in a corruption case uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In response, Kadyrov mocked the sanctions on his Instagram account. "A sleepless night is waiting for me." He further stated, "I can be proud that I'm out of favor with the special services of the USA," and added, "In fact, the USA cannot forgive me for dedicating my whole life to the fight against foreign terrorists among which there are bastards of America's special services."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the sanctions "illegal" and "unfriendly" stating, "We consider these sanctions illegal, we consider them unfriendly, and we do not agree with them." He also stated that it was highly probable that Russia would retaliate by accusing U.S. officials or citizens of rights violations and banning them from the country.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Further sanctions were added on 20 July 2020, with United States Secretary of State accusing him of increasing abuses on civilians during the COVID-19 pandemic. His immediate family were also sanctioned. The sanctions also ban him, his wife and two of his daughters from traveling to the United States. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Sputnik that they will try to impose retaliatory sanctions. Kadyrov meanwhile posted a picture of himself along with firearms, saying, "Pompeo, we accept the fight! What comes next will be more interesting."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In 2004, Kadyrov had a conversation with the "Novaya Gazeta" journalist Anna Politkovskaya. One of his assistants said to her, "Someone ought to have shot you back in Moscow, right on the street, like they do in your Moscow". Ramzan then repeated after him, "You're an enemy. To be shot..." He is alleged by some observers to be behind her murder.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 13 April 2020, Kadyrov threatened the journalist Elena Milashina on Instagram for her news article in "Novaya Gazeta" about Chechnya's coronavirus lockdown, stating it was "defamatory". He also criticized the federal authorities for not taking any action saying, "If you want us to commit a crime and become criminals, just say so! One [of us] will take on this responsibility and serve his time, as required by law." On Telegram, he later labeled her newspaper "anti-Russian" and a "foreign agent", also claiming it stereotyped Chechens.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Milashina had also covered Chechnya's gay purges and had been allegedly attacked on 6 February 2020. She accused the Chechen authorities of orchestrating the attack. Over 100 Russian celebrities and human rights activists, in response to Kadyrov's online threats, called upon the federal government to protect Milashina. Novaya Gazeta was made to delete Milashina's article from its website by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Russia, which claimed it was fake news and created a threat to the lives of citizens. Peskov dismissed Kadyrov's threats as an emotional response, saying everyone was on edge due to the coronavirus pandemic. Human Rights Watch criticized Peskov's reaction, stating it was "like a stark green light to Chechen officials to act on their threats."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 21 April 2020, the US government funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty stated that it had complained to Russian authorities after Kadyrov had threatened to punish their North Caucasus bureau chief Aslan Doukaev over an article against his government's restrictive coronavirus lockdown measures against farmers in an online video.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The ambassador of United States to Russia, John J. Sullivan, condemned Kadyrov's threats against Milashina and Aslan Doukaev, stating that freedom of press was a pillar of democracy. In a joint statement, French Human Rights Ambassador-at-Large François Croquette and the German Commissioner for Human Rights Policy Bärbel Kofler called Kadyrov's threats against Milashina unacceptable and urged Russia to investigate.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadydov had personally warned to punish the Georgian journalist Giorgi Gabunia in June 2020, after he had insulted President Vladimir Putin on-air. The State Security Service of Georgia announced the arrest of a Russian citizen on 15 June for an assassination attempt on Gabunia. Georgian media and Gabunia's boss later claimed the assassin was sent by Kadyrov, who denied the allegations and said that if he had sent someone to kill, they would have succeeded. Kadyrov called Gabunia his enemy and said that he should beg for forgiveness by getting down on his knees, otherwise he would continue to remain one. Georgian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the allegations against Kadyrov.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The number of subscribers to Kadyrov's social networks in 2016 was more than three million people, including three million followers of his Instagram account, according to the Chechen leader's press service. It said that he had 500,000 followers on the Russian VK social network, 760,860 on Facebook, 331,000 on Twitter and 5,447 on LiveJournal. Besides his Instagram postings, it was said that he had also made almost 5,000 on Twitter and 2,300 on VK. The Russian News Agency TASS said that Kadyrov had been "recognized as the most quoted Russian blogger."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In August 2016, "The Wall Street Journal" reported that Kadyrov had posted nearly 8,000 pictures on Instagram, which made him the online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking service's "most prolific political strongman."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: "The New York Times" called Kadyrov's Instagram account "bizarre if strangely compelling", and "Newsweek" said it was "flashy." In a 2015 article, "The New York Times" said that Kadyrov was "Instagram-addicted."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The Russian programme director of Human Rights Watch said in an October 2016 article in "The Guardian" that "even the mildest criticism on social media [is] ruthlessly punished through unlawful, punitive detention, enforced disappearances, cruel and degrading treatment, death threats, threats against family members, and physical abuse of family members." She said that a social worker from a small town in Chechnya made a WhatsApp recording that went viral among Chechen users "imploring" Kadyrov "to look into the plight of ordinary people pushed below the poverty line" by local officials. The article stated that the woman, with her husband, "found herself hauled into the studio of Grozny TV, the state television and radio broadcaster" to face Kadyrov in person, "to apologise publicly for her lies." A "severe and sweeping repression by the local authorities is designed to remind the Chechen public of Kadyrov's total control," the article claimed.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In May 2015, Kadyrov gave a stern televised lecture to a group of Chechen men and women who were accused of using the WhatsApp messaging service to comment on the impending marriage of a local police chief to a teenage girl some three decades younger than him. The wedding had been widely discussed across Russia on reports that the young woman, Kheda Goylabiyeva, was being coerced into marriage with the chief, Nazhud Guchigov.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: "Behave like Chechens", Kadyrov was reported as telling the assemblage of about a dozen people standing in the marbled courtyard of what appeared to be his government palace. "Honor of the family is the most important thing. Don't write such things any more. You, men, keep your women away from WhatsApp." In its coverage of the incident, "The New York Times" reported:


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: "Lock them in, do not let them go out, and they will not post anything", Mr. Kadyrov said in a video to a sheepish group of men and women who kept their arms folded across their chests and their eyes firmly on the ground during the harangue.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In December 2015, a female Chechen social worker criticised Kadyrov in an audio message posted on WhatsApp, after her boss tried to force her to allocate some money from her salary to be collateral for her next month's payment. Three days after posting the message, she appeared on Grozny TV along with her husband, where she was publicly berated by Kadyrov as well as parliament speaker Daudov, presidential administration head Islam Kadyrov and her boss. The couple apologised on live television for her message.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In May 2016, Kadyrov engaged in a brief Instagram dispute with US television host John Oliver. Kadyrov had posted a message on Instagram asking for help in finding his lost cat. The posting led Oliver to make a five-minute segment on HBO's "Last Week Tonight" dealing with the cat's disappearance and, according to "The Guardian," Kadyrov's penchant for posting of, for example, "regular videos of his work-outs in the gym," also on Instagram. In addition, Oliver teased Kadyrov "for his propensity" to wear T-shirts bearing the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the show, Oliver posted a photo of himself holding a cat, captioned "@RKadyrov Is this your cat?" Kadyrov responded in English, according to "The New York Times" along with a doctored photo of Oliver wearing a Putin T-shirt, captioned, in part, "I am tired of jokes. I want to care for cats in Chechnya. By the way, Putin is our leader."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov stated that he found his Russian-language Instagram and Facebook accounts were not working on 23 December 2017, and he never received a response from Instagram after sending a request for service support. His English-language Instagram account remained unaffected however. Kadyrov accused them of bowing to pressure from United States after he was sanctioned.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: He wrote on Telegram in response, "Instagram's move, which still wants to pretend it is independent from officials of Washington is weird." He added, "They wanted to stir my indignation, but were wrong, and this is the only thing which pleases me in actions Instagram and their patrons in the White House are undertaking. I have planned already to quit the network. But I thought I could fail my friends and subscribers, as on Instagram and Facebook I have more than 4 million followers."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin stated that the decision by Facebook and Instagram to suspend Kadyrov's accounts violated his rights, stating, "They are afraid of a public conversation and the truth. Such decision cannot be explained in another way… The thing is that to read bloggers in social networks one needs to be their subscribers. By deleting an account, they deprive citizens of their right to know about bloggers’ opinion and to communicate with them."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Russia's telecommunications overseer Roskomnadzor on 26 December asked Facebook to explain why they had suspended his accounts. Facebook issued a statement on 28 December that it did so after he was sanctioned by United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control as these came under trade sanctions.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 3 November 2009, a horse owned by Kadyrov, Mourilyan, came third in the Melbourne Cup winning about US$380,000 in prize money. The leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Bob Brown, immediately called for the Government of Australia to quarantine the prize money until assurances are received as to how the money will be used. Concerns had been previously raised that the Melbourne Cup could be used to launder money by overseas individuals.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In 2009, Kadyrov stated his approval of honor killings of seven women, based on the belief that they were engaging in adultery. In an interview with David Scott of HBO, he condoned honor killings of homosexuals in July 2017 stating, "If we have [gay] people here, I'm telling you officially their relatives won't let them be because of our faith, our mentality, customs, traditions. Even if it's punishable under the law, we would still condone it."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 28 November 2010, a classified cable published by Wikileaks named Kadyrov as a "starring guest" at some of Dagestan's most elaborate weddings, which indicates the political "Caucasus power structure" in these weddings. In 2006, leaked cables from an American diplomat recounted a lavish wedding attended by Kadyrov in Russia's Caucasus region in which guests threw $100 bills at child dancers, and which had nighttime "water-scooter jaunts on the Caspian Sea", and a report that Kadyrov gave the newly married couple a "five-kilo lump of gold".


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In January 2015, Kadyrov said he would organize protests if a Russian newspaper published the "Charlie Hebdo" cartoons, saying "we will not allow anyone to insult the Prophet [Muhammad], even if it will cost us our lives." He also stated that Alexei Venediktov "will be brought to account" after his radio station Ekho Moskvy took a survey of readers on whether to publish the cartoons. Venediktov stated he would ask the authorities to intervene against Kadyrov's threats. During a protest rally against the cartoons attended by hundreds of thousands of people in Chechnya, he accused those backing Charlie Hebdo of using "false slogans about free speech and democracy".


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: After French teacher Samuel Paty was murdered by a man of Chechen descent for showing the Charlie Hebdo cartoons in his class, Kadyrov criticized the attack, but also told people to not provoke the religious sentiments of Muslims. He also criticized French society for provoking Muslims and stated that the country must have a state institution focusing on inter-ethnic and inter-faith relations. After France's President Emmanuel Macron defended Paty's actions under the right to free speech, Kadyrov on Instagram accused him of forcing people to resort to terrorism by doing so.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov supports polygamy in Muslim-majority republics in Russia, and believes that Muslims who speak out against the practice are not true adherents to their faith. According to Kadyrov, men legally marrying more than one wife would be more honest than having many mistresses, and would resolve Russia's demographic problem. In April 2018, he stated that all Muslim men are permitted by Allah to have four wives but discouraged having the marriages officially registered. He also denied reports that polygamy would be legalised in Chechnya.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: After the Boston Marathon bombing, Kadyrov expressed sadness for the victims but denied the suspects had any ties to his region in a statement on his Instagram. He suggested that the suspects were products of American upbringing. Kadyrov accused the CIA of framing Dzokhar Tsarnaev on 18 March 2015, after he was handed a death sentence for the Boston Marathon Bombing and said that they could not have conducted the bombing without CIA's knowledge.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: On 31 January 2016, Kadyrov posted a video of Russian opposition politicians Mikhail Kasyanov and Vladimir Vladimirovich Kara-Murza in the crosshairs of a gun on his Instagram blog. In a few days, after multiple complaints, Instagram removed the video prompting Kadyrov to criticize the decision: "This is the much-boasted freedom of speech in America! You can write anything but cannot touch those American dogs, those friends of the Congress and the State Department".


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin authored a report against Kadyrov released on 23 February 2016 during a press conference which was repeatedly interrupted by police and hecklers. He also claimed that Kadyrov had murdered Boris Nemtsov. The report titled "A National Security Threat" claimed that Kadyrov poses a threat to Russia. It included allegations of corruption, authoritarian rule, secret prisons, rigging votes in favour of Vladimir Putin, stealing from the country's national budget to enrich himself, enforcing Sharia law over Russian law, his lavish lifestyle, building and maintaining a personal army of about 30,000 fighters, purported ties to organised crime figures, and his involvement in politically motivated murders of journalists, human rights activists and political opponents.<ref name="Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty"></ref>


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The report contained 20 questions which Yashin had invited Kadyrov to answer but was refused. Kadyrov dismissed the report calling it "nothing but idle chatter" and posted it on his social network accounts before its release. His spokesman filed a request with the Russian Prosecutor General and the Investigative Committee for Yashin to be arrested for the report saying it contained slander and insults against Kadyrov.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In August 2016, Kadyrov convened a conference of Islamic scholars, funded by the Tabah Foundation in the United Arab Emirates, in Grozny. The conference was attended by notable Islamic scholars, including the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb; the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shawki Allam; the ex-Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa, Usama al-Azhari, who is the religious adviser to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi; Habib Ali al-Jifri, and the mufti of Damascus, Abdul Fattah al-Bizm.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The conference was convened to discuss the alleged abuse of Islamic ideas to propagate extremism and to establish the criteria for determining who are the true followers of the Sunnah. The assembly of scholars issued a fatwa which declared that those who abide by the Kalam, belong to the four madhhabs and follow the path of moral self-perfection espoused by distinguished Islamic teachers, primarily the Sufi sheikhs, were the only true believers. The fatwa called the sect of Salafism a "dangerous and erroneous contemporary sect", along with extremist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Hizb ut-Tahrir.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The conference issued two further documents. In the first, it appealed to President Vladimir Putin to ban Salafism and term any condemnation of "traditional Islam" as "extremism". It proposed the fatwa be regarded as the considered opinion of "leading Russian experts" when evaluating the activity of Muslim organizations and the preaching of individual clerics. The second document issued a resolution calling for the establishment of a Council for Islamic Education and a Council of Ulema, which would rule on who is and is not a true follower of Sunni Islam.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The ruling created a controversy, with both Islamic theologians and secular commentators condemning it, with some seeing it as a bid by Kadyrov to divide Russian Muslims into those who accept the importance he places on teachings of the Sufi brotherhoods and likely what he considers to be "traditional Islam" without question, and those who do not, labeled as possessing "erroneous" views. Many of the key participants also disavowed the resolutions. Mukkadas Bibarsov, mufti of Saratov Oblast, stated that the question of who was a true follower of Sunni Islam was resolved "centuries ago". He added that the fatwa failed to take into account the crucial differences between Russia's Muslims, specifically that some Muslim communities did not follow Sufism.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Liz Fuller, writing for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, commented that the fatwa seemed to be giving permission to Kadyrov to take any action he likes to punish those whose religious views do not coincide with his own. Yaroslav Trofimov, writing for "The Wall Street Journal", described it as a "new fracture emerging within Islam". Many Saudi clerics and citizens expressed outrage on social media at the fatwa. The Muslim Brotherhood expressed "deep sorrow" over the fatwa, stating that it “ignited fires of discord among Muslims around the world.”


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In 2015, Kadyrov ordered Chechen security forces to "shoot to kill" if they encountered police officers from other parts of Russia on the territory of the Chechen Republic. Kadyrov said: "I would like to officially state: Open fire if someone from Moscow or Stavropol—it doesn't matter where from—appears on your turf without your knowledge. We have to be reckoned with. … If you are masters of your territory, then you must control it." According to Ekaterina Sokirianskaia, "Some critics claim that Mr. Putin now fears Mr. Kadyrov because he knows any serious attempt to challenge the Chechen leader's position might lead to a third war."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: A mixed martial arts tournament involving children was held as an "exhibition fight" on 4 October during the "Grand Prix Akhmat 2016" in Grozny and broadcast on Match TV. Three of Kadyrov's sons, all of them aged under 12, fought in the tournament with Kadyrov sitting in the audience and none of the fighters wearing any protective gear. One of the fights ended with a technical knockout. Kadyrov posted images of the bouts on his Instagram account.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The event caused an outcry especially against Kadyrov allowing his children to compete in the tournament. Fedor Emelianenko, the president of Russian MMA Union, criticised the event as "inexcusable", stating that rules stipulate fighters under the age of 21 have to wear protective gear while children under the age of 12 are not allowed to compete. Vadim Finkelstein, the head of MMA promotion M-1 Global backed Emelianenko's comments.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for President Putin, stated that the fact that one of the fights between the children finished with a technical knockout was “a reason for the appropriate oversight agencies to inquire about this incident.” Deputy Minister of Sports Pavel Kolobkov stated that participation of children under the age of 12 in MMA competitions was illegal while stating that the incident was being investigated. Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko also stated that the event will be investigated.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Several Chechen officials responded to Fedor's criticism with insults and accusations including Timur Dugazayev, general director of Akhmat MMA promotion, Member of Parliament Adam Delimkhanov as well as Kadyrov himself. The Ministry of Sports found on 18 October that Kadyrov's promotion had violated regulations. It also found that the event was actually an unlicensed show with no regulatory oversight. The promotion was directed to coordinate with the Ministry of Sports and other regulatory bodies to “prevent such irregularities in conduct” and handed a letter detailing its failure to comply with the legislation.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov commented about Russia's nuclear arsenal and tensions between the United States and Russia. He said that "America is not really a strong enough state for us to regard it as an enemy of Russia, we have a strong government and are a nuclear state." He added, "Even if our government was completely destroyed, our nuclear missiles would be automatically deployed. We will put the whole world on its knees and screw it from behind." In October 2022, Kadyrov started advocating for Russia to use low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In September 2017, Kadyrov condemned the persecution of Muslims in Myanmar and organized a rally in Grozny in support of persecuted Rohingya people. Kadyrov pledged to oppose the Russian Federation’s position if it supported Aung San Suu Kyi's government in Myanmar.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In June 2019, Kadyrov, in an Instagram video, told the citizens of Dagestan to not insult Chechnya or Chechens online amidst a controversy over a piece of land of the republic labeled as belonging to Chechnya, threatening to torture whoever insulted the honor of Chechens. He also warned people to remove any such comments, otherwise they would have to answer to Chechen law enforcement agencies.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: During a government function organized for medium and small-scale businesses in November 2019, Kadryov called for online users insulting someone's honor to be killed, arrested or intimidated per a BBC Russian Service translation. He stated in the same speech that he did not call for the targeting of law-abiding citizens, but of others, i.e., "crooks, traitors, tattletales and schizophrenics of all stripes." Kadyrov's spokesman, Alvi Karimov, denied the accuracy of the BBC translation; however, "Meduza"'s translation found that it to be accurate. The speech itself was broadcast on a state-owned TV channel. Russian diplomat Dmitry Peskov stated that Kadryov's remarks would not be investigated by the Russian government as it was a police matter.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov graduated with a degree in law from the Makhachkala Institute of Business and Law in 2004. In 2006, he defended his thesis at Dagestan State Technical University to obtain a Candidate of Sciences degree in economics. In 2015, he defended his thesis at Dagestan State University to obtain a Doctor of Sciences degree in economics.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov has adopted a macho image where he frequently poses with guns and military garb, and associates with mixed martial artists. In 2022, he was pictured in military garb and $1,580 Prada Monolith boots. "The New Yorker" says that Kadyrov has adopted various personalities over the years: "the merciless warrior in fatigues who leads special operations to kill anti-government rebels; the jolly Caucasus baron who spars with Mike Tyson and shows off his private zoo; the family man and observant Muslim who has banned alcohol, ordered that women wear headscarves in public buildings, and boasts that his six-year-old son has memorized the Koran."


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: In 1996, Kadyrov married Medni Musaevna Kadyrova. The couple are parents of twelve children. Two sons, Adam and Eli, have earned the title of "hafiz," while three daughters, Aishat, Khadizhat and Khutmat, have earned the title of "hafiza". Khutmat and another daughter, Ashura, performed together with the nasheed singer Mishary Rashid Alafasy in 2015. Khadizhat was recognised as the most gifted student in Chechnya in 2016 and qualified for participation in the pan-Russian contest "Student of the Year 2016" on 20 February 2016.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Medni launched her 'Firdaws' fashion line in March 2012 in Dubai. Aishat presented her own fashion collection in March 2017 and took over her mother's fashion enterprise, Firdaws. She was appointed the first deputy culture minister of Chechnya in September 2020 by her father.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: According to a 2021 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Kadyrov has a second wife, Fatima Khazuyeva. Kadyrov reportedly met Khazuyeva when she was fourteen years old at a 2006 beauty pageant. He reportedly also has a third wife, a singer and dancer named Aminat Akhmadova.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov enjoys boxing and is the owner of Fight Club Akhmat, a professional sports club that focuses on Boxing and mixed martial arts.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: The Russian Federation funnels money to the Kadyrov family; the distinction between the Chechen government and Kadyrov are blurred. In 2015, Chechnya received around 57 billion roubles a year from Moscow (about £550m). The family obtains money through the Akhmad Kadyrov Fund, a non-transparent foundation which describes itself as a charity and is headed by Kadyrov’s mother, Ayman. In 2011, the foundation funded Kadyrov's lavish 35-year birthday party, which featured celebrities such as Seal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Vanessa-Mae and Hilary Swank. When journalist Marianna Maksimovskaya asked him where the money for the live-televised celebration was coming from, he reportedly laughed and said "Allah gives it to us", before adding: "I don't know, it comes from somewhere." Journalists have been targeted by Kadyrov's regime for reporting on his opulence.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov is a noted collector of sports cars. He owns a Lamborghini Reventón, one of only 20 sold. He is also known for his extensive collection of Chechen daggers. Kadyrov has been linked to the ownership of a private jet.


title: Ramzan Kadyrov

text: Kadyrov's family members own luxurious real estate in Moscow. Two of his wives own property valued at $8 million in total, which is more than twice Kadyrov's declared salary since 2008.


title: Damian Lewis

text: Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is an English actor, presenter and producer. He is best known for portraying U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers", which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He also portrayed U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the Showtime series "Homeland", which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. His performance as Henry VIII of England in "Wolf Hall" earned him his third Primetime Emmy nomination and fourth Golden Globe nomination. He portrayed Bobby Axelrod in the Showtime series "Billions" in the first five seasons and appeared in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (2019) as actor Steve McQueen.


title: Damian Lewis

text: Lewis was born on 11 February 1971 in St John's Wood, London, the eldest son of Charlotte Mary ("née" Bowater) and John Watcyn Lewis, a City insurance broker with Lloyd's. His paternal grandparents were Welsh. His maternal grandfather was Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ian Bowater, Lord Mayor of London, and his maternal grandmother's ancestors include Bertrand, Viscount Dawson of Penn (a doctor to the Royal Family) and the eminent naval shipbuilder (see Yarrow Shipbuilders) and philanthropist Sir Alfred Yarrow, 1st Baronet, who was of partial


title: Damian Lewis

text: Sephardic Jewish descent. He has stated that he "went to English boarding schools and grew up around people very much like [his character] Soames and in a "milieu" very much like the Forsytes.


title: Damian Lewis

text: As a child, Lewis made several visits to the US to visit relatives during summer breaks. He first decided to become an actor at the age of 16. He was educated at the independent Ashdown House School in Forest Row, East Sussex, and at Eton College. He graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1993, after which he worked as an actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company.


title: Damian Lewis

text: During his time with the RSC, he played Borgheim in Adrian Noble's production of Henrik Ibsen's "Little Eyolf" and Posthumus in William Shakespeare's "Cymbeline". He also starred in another of Ibsen's plays, as Karsten Bernick in "Pillars of the Community" at the National Theatre in November 2005.


title: Damian Lewis

text: Lewis once worked as a telemarketer selling car alarms, a job he detested. His first television appearance was as a rakish student in an early episode of the drama series "A Touch of Frost" (1996). He appeared in "Robinson Crusoe" (1997) as Patrick Conner. He appeared in Jonathan Kent's production of "Hamlet", playing Laertes. This production was seen by Steven Spielberg, who later cast Lewis as Richard Winters in "Band of Brothers" (2001), the first role of several that required him to have a credible American accent.


title: Damian Lewis

text: Subsequently, Lewis portrayed Soames Forsyte in the ITV series "The Forsyte Saga", which earned him positive reviews. He returned to the US to star in "Dreamcatcher", a Lawrence Kasdan film about a man who becomes possessed by an evil alien. The character is American but when possessed he takes on a British accent. On the heels of this role, he starred in "Keane" as a Manhattanite with a fragile mental state who is searching for his missing daughter. Despite the film's poor box-office, Lewis's performance in the role was very well reviewed.


title: Damian Lewis

text: He played Jeffrey Archer in the TV special "Jeffrey Archer: The Truth". Since 2004, he has appeared in a number of films, as well as the 2005 BBC TV adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing", as part of the "ShakespeaRe-Told" season. Lewis played the role of Yassen Gregorovich in the film "Stormbreaker". In 2006, he appeared in Stephen Poliakoff's BBC drama "Friends and Crocodiles". He has appeared on BBC's "Have I Got News for You" as guest host several times; on 10 November 2006, 1 May 2009, 18 November 2010, 27 April 9 November 2012 and 31 October 2014.


title: Damian Lewis

text: In 2008, Lewis starred as the main character Charlie Crews in the American television series "Life" on NBC. The show premiered in the US on 26 September 2007 and was affected by the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. Only half of the first season's shows were produced. Regardless, the show won a 2008 AFI Award for best television series. Although the show received critical acclaim, when it returned the following television season, it was shuffled from night to night, and eventually cancelled by NBC to clear its time slot for the less expensive nightly programme, "The Jay Leno Show".


title: Damian Lewis

text: Lewis appeared, the following year, in the lead role in "The Baker", a film directed by his brother, Gareth. Damian took a supporting role of Rizza in "The Escapist", which he also helped produce. He led the cast in Martin Crimp's version of Molière's comedy, "The Misanthrope", which opened in December 2009 at the Comedy Theatre, London. Other cast members included Tara Fitzgerald, Keira Knightley and Dominic Rowan.


title: Damian Lewis

text: From 2011 to 2013, Lewis had a starring role as Gunnery Sergeant Nicholas Brody in the Showtime series "Homeland". In 2013, he narrated poetry for "The Love Book App", an "interactive anthology of love literature developed by Allie Byrne Esiri".


title: Damian Lewis

text: From 2016 to 2021, he starred as billionaire hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod in the Showtime series "Billions".


title: Damian Lewis

text: Lewis was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to drama and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity.


title: Damian Lewis

text: Having previously dated Katie Razzall, Kristin Davis and Sophia Myles, Lewis married actress Helen McCrory on 4 July 2007. They have a daughter, Manon (born 2006) and a son, Gulliver (born 2007). McCrory died of cancer on 16 April 2021, aged 52.


title: Damian Lewis

text: Lewis and his family left the UK in 2007 to live in Los Angeles while he worked on the NBC-TV crime drama "Life". After completion of that series' final episode in 2009, they returned to the UK to live in a Victorian townhouse in Tufnell Park, north London.


title: Damian Lewis

text: In 2010, Lewis became a trade justice ambassador for the charity Christian Aid. In May 2006 and June 2018, he played for England in Soccer Aid, and played golf for Europe in the "All*Star Cup" in August 2006, both shown on ITV.


title: Damian Lewis

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis and McCrory supported Feed NHS, a fundraiser to give food from high street restaurants to NHS staff. By April 2020, they had raised £1m for the charity. The initiative started in London, but following its success, plans were announced to roll it out to other cities in the UK.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is a founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his mother, and then moved shortly before his twelfth birthday to live with his father in Hollywood. While attending Fairfax High School, Kiedis befriended students Flea and Hillel Slovak, who were members of a band called Anthym. After high school, Kiedis began taking classes at UCLA but dropped out in his sophomore year.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: When Kiedis received an offer to be the opening act for a local band, he enlisted Flea, Slovak, and drummer Jack Irons. After a show under the name Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, the band progressed and the line-up eventually became the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has recorded thirteen studio albums with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis's lyrical style has evolved throughout his career; early recordings discussed topics such as sex and life in Los Angeles, while more recent songs focus on more reflective themes including love, addiction, and loss. He struggled with addiction until 2000, and maintains that he has been clean since then.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Margaret "Peggy" Nobel and struggling actor John Michael Kiedis, known professionally as Blackie Dammett. His paternal grandfather's family emigrated from Lithuania in the early 1900s. In 2004 he wrote that his paternal grandmother, Molly Vandenveen's heritage "was a pastiche of English, Irish, French, and Dutch (and, as we've recently discovered, some Mohican blood)". In 1966, when Kiedis was three years old, his parents divorced, and he was raised by his mother in Grand Rapids. His mother later remarried and had two more children. Each summer, Kiedis would visit his father in Hollywood for two weeks, a time during which the two would bond. He idolized his father and recalled: "Those trips to California were the happiest, most carefree, the-world-is-a-beautiful-oyster times I'd ever experienced." In 1974, when Kiedis was 12, he moved to Hollywood to live with his father full-time.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis's father sold drugs, which had an impact on Kiedis, as the two would often use marijuana and cocaine together. Kiedis accidentally tried heroin for the first time at age 14, mistaking it for cocaine. Through his father, Kiedis, who worked under the stage name of Cole Dammett, landed his first acting role appearing as Sylvester Stallone's character's son in the 1978 film, "F.I.S.T." He landed two more acting jobs, in an ABC Afterschool Special and an appearance in the film "Jokes My Folks Never Told Me".


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, where he struggled to find friends as he had recently transferred to a new school district. However, he soon met his future bandmate Flea, and after a brief confrontation, the two became best friends and bonded while sitting next to each other in driver's ed class. Kiedis recalled, "We were drawn to each other by the forces of mischief and love and we became virtually inseparable. We were both social outcasts. We found each other and it turned out to be the longest-lasting friendship of my life." Kiedis became a significant influence on Flea, exposing him to rock music, particularly punk rock. At age 15, while Kiedis and Flea were jumping from a building into a swimming pool, Kiedis missed the pool and broke his back, but recovered.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: At age 15, Kiedis met future bandmate Hillel Slovak after seeing him perform with his band Anthym. After the show, Slovak invited Kiedis to his house for a snack. Kiedis later described the experience: "Within a few minutes of hanging out with Hillel, I sensed that he was absolutely different from most of the people I'd spent time with ... He understood a lot about music, he was a great visual artist, and he had a sense of self and a calm about him that were just riveting." Slovak, Kiedis, and Flea often used LSD, heroin, cocaine, and speed recreationally. Kiedis excelled in school, often receiving straight-A grades. In June 1980, Kiedis graduated with honors from high school. That August, he enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles to study writing.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: After Kiedis began working with Flea and drummer Jack Irons, he was described as a "manic master of ceremonies" before he even began singing for the group. Irons and Slovak had begun playing together in high school while performing in a band called Chain Reaction. The group included then bassist Tom Strasman and Chilean-born vocalist and guitarist Alain Johannes. With Strasman set on becoming a lawyer, he quit the band to keep his grades up and focus on college. At this point, Flea was brought into the mix. Shortly after hanging out with the band, and attending a few shows, Kiedis was offered a position in the band by Flea. He began as a hype man, going out in front of the band blurting out jokes to the audience and getting them pumped up.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis, Slovak, and Flea began to create their own music after finding inspiration in a punk-funk fusion band called Defunkt. Kiedis rejected the violence and misogyny associated with the Los Angeles punk rock scene at the time, and wished to create a more peaceful environment that would encourage women to come to concerts. The three formed a band with former Anthym drummer Jack Irons, called Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. The band had only one song, titled "Out in L.A.", and was formed for the purpose of playing the song once. The song was based on a guitar riff that Slovak wrote while "jamming" with Irons, and was not meant to become a real song until Kiedis decided to rap over the music. Mike Chester, a friend of Kiedis', invited the band to open for his act Mike and Neighbor's Voices at The Rhythm Lounge, as he felt that Kiedis had potential as a frontman. Slovak and Flea were initially skeptical, and felt that Kiedis did not have enough vocal experience, but the two eventually agreed to perform. Kiedis later described the performance: "All the anticipation of the moment hit me, and I instinctively knew that the miracle of manipulating energy and tapping into an infinite source of power and harnessing it in a small space with your friends was what I had been put on this earth to do."


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Following the group's first show at The Rhythm Lounge, the owner of the bar asked them to return, but with two songs instead of one. After several more shows, and the addition of several songs to their repertoire, the band's name was changed to Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band's concert repertoire grew to ten songs as a result of months of playing at local nightclubs and bars. At a performance at a strip club in Hollywood called Kit Kat Club, the band members performed wearing only socks on their penises, an idea formed by Kiedis. This gained the band notoriety, and club owners even began booking the group on the condition that they would perform in this manner. The Red Hot Chili Peppers entered Bijou Studios to record a demo tape and subsequently secured a record deal with EMI. Irons and Slovak, however, decided to leave the Red Hot Chili Peppers in order to pursue a "more serious" future with their band Anthym, which by this time had been renamed What Is This? Kiedis ultimately respected the decision, but felt the band would be lost without them. Kiedis and Flea hired drummer Cliff Martinez from The Weirdos and guitarist Jack Sherman to fill Iron's and Slovak's places, respectively. Andy Gill, formerly of Gang of Four, agreed to produce their first album, 1984's "The Red Hot Chili Peppers". Gill and Sherman clashed with Kiedis and Flea; they continuously argued over music style, sound, and the album's production. Sherman was fired from the band following the tour and replaced by a returning Slovak.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Funk musician George Clinton was hired to produce the band's second album, "Freaky Styley", as Slovak returned on guitar. The strong chemistry between Clinton and the Chili Peppers was felt instantly. "Freaky Styley" was released in August 1985. It received only a bit more attention than "The Red Hot Chili Peppers" with roughly 75,000 copies sold by year's end. The band hired Michael Beinhorn, their last resort among potential producers, to work on their next album. What Is This? had finally disbanded, and Irons returned to the Chili Peppers in mid-1986 after Martinez was fired. Flea, Slovak and Kiedis especially were involved in heavy drug use and their relationships became strained. Flea recalled that "it began to seem ugly to me and not fun; our communication was not healthy". Kiedis became dependent on heroin, leaving Flea and Slovak to work on much of the album's material by themselves. Both Kiedis and Slovak struggled with debilitating heroin addictions, which grew worse as the band was preparing to record "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan". Due to his addiction, Kiedis lacked the motivation to contribute to the band musically, and appeared at rehearsal "literally asleep". He was asked to leave the band in order to undergo drug rehabilitation. During that time, the band won the "LA Weekly" Band of the Year award, which prompted Kiedis to quit using heroin cold turkey. He visited his mother in Michigan for guidance, who drove him to drug rehabilitation immediately after picking him up from the airport upon seeing his unhealthy appearance. Kiedis checked into a Salvation Army rehabilitation clinic in Grand Rapids, an experience which he initially detested until he noted that the other people in the clinic were understanding of his struggles and were trying to help him. He moved in with his mother after twenty days at the clinic, a time which marked the first time he was completely abstinent from drugs since he was eleven years old. After Kiedis completed his stint in rehabilitation, he felt a "whole new wave of enthusiasm" due to his sobriety and wrote the lyrics to a new song titled "Fight Like a Brave" on the flight home.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: He rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles to record the album. Upon returning home, he began dating actress Ione Skye, whom Flea had met while appearing with her in the 1987 science fiction film "Stranded". Although Kiedis had recently become clean, his withdrawal symptoms increased and affected his musical contributions to the group. After fifty days of sobriety, Kiedis decided to take drugs again as a one-time attempt to celebrate his new music, which led to his resumed addiction. The recording process for the album became difficult as Kiedis would often disappear to seek drugs. Producer Michael Beinhorn recalled that "There were points in pre-production where I really thought the record wasn't gonna get made." Kiedis felt "excruciating pain and guilt and shame" when he would miss a recording session so he would try to write lyrics while searching for drugs; although the band members were upset by his drug use and frequent disappearances, they were impressed with his musical output at the time.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: After the international tour in support of "Uplift", Slovak died of a heroin overdose in 1988. Following Slovak's death, Kiedis fled to a small fishing village in Mexico and did not attend his funeral, considering the situation to be surreal and dreamlike. Although he found the death to be a shock, he initially was not "scared straight" and continued to use heroin. A few weeks later, his friend convinced him to check into rehab and visit Slovak's grave, which inspired him to get clean. Irons was unable to cope with Slovak's death and subsequently quit the band, saying that he did not want to be part of something that resulted in the death of his friend. Kiedis and Flea decided to continue making music, hoping to continue what Slovak "helped build".


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Following Slovak's death, Kiedis and Flea took some time to collect themselves, but decided to keep the band together. Guitarist DeWayne McKnight and drummer D. H. Peligro were added to replace Slovak and Irons. McKnight soon began to create tension within the group, as his style did not mesh with the rest of the band. Peligro, the former drummer of the punk rock band Dead Kennedys, was a friend of John Frusciante, an eighteen-year-old guitarist and avid Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. Peligro introduced Frusciante to Flea, and the three jammed together on several occasions. Kiedis was impressed with Frusciante's skill, and astonished by his knowledge of the Chili Peppers' repertoire. McKnight was fired, and Frusciante accepted an invitation to join the band. The band started writing music for the next album and finished out 1988 with a brief tour. Peligro was fired in November and through auditions, the Chili Peppers brought in drummer Chad Smith as his replacement shortly after.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: The Chili Peppers entered the studio, and completed recording of their fourth album, "Mother's Milk", in early 1989. Upon release, the album was met with mixed reactions from critics, but received far more commercial attention, peaking at number fifty-two on the "Billboard" 200. Although his band was experiencing greater success, Kiedis' withdrawal symptoms took a toll on his personal life. This led to the end of his two-year relationship with Ione Skye in December 1989: "I had managed to stay sober by not ingesting drugs, so my body had healed from all that torturous activity, but my mind still wasn't healthy enough to work out all the problems that come up in a relationship." In 1990 Kiedis received a conviction for indecent exposure and sexual battery in Virginia related to an incident at George Mason University in Fairfax County in April 1989. He was ordered to pay a fine on both counts.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: The band sought to record their next album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" in an unconventional setting, believing it would enhance their creative output. The band's producer Rick Rubin suggested the mansion magician Harry Houdini once lived in, to which they agreed. A crew was hired to set up a recording studio and other equipment required for production in the house. The band decided that they would remain inside the mansion for the duration of recording, though Smith, convinced the location was haunted, refused to stay. During this stage, Kiedis began to write about anguish, and the self-mutilating thoughts he would experience as a result of his heroin and cocaine addiction. Chili Peppers producer Rick Rubin stumbled upon one of Kiedis's poems that would become the lyrics to "Under the Bridge", and suggested Kiedis show it to the rest of the band. Kiedis was apprehensive because he believed the lyrics to be "too soft" and unlike the band's style. After singing the verse to Frusciante, they began structuring the song the next day. The two worked for several hours arranging chords and melodies until they both agreed it was complete. The song later became a major hit, peaking at number two on the "Billboard" 100. When "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" was released on September 24, 1991, it received an overwhelmingly positive critical response. The album peaked at number three on the "Billboard" Hot 200, and went on to sell over seven million copies in the U.S. alone. The album's ensuing tour was critically acclaimed—the Chili Peppers commonly performed shows with over twenty thousand in attendance. Up-and-coming bands Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Smashing Pumpkins also toured with them during their United States tour. The massive attention the Chili Peppers started receiving caused Frusciante to feel extremely uncomfortable, and he abruptly quit the band during the Japanese leg of the album's tour. The band hired guitarist Arik Marshall to complete the remaining tour dates. The band appeared live on the Grammy's ceremony with George Clinton's P-Funk collective and many others, performing a medley that included "Give It Away".


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Months went by, and only small amounts of material were written leading Chad Smith to publicly announce that Kiedis was suffering from writer's block, though Kiedis denied this. The rest of the recording was completed within the next month and their sixth album "One Hot Minute" was released in September 1995, featuring the band's new guitarist Dave Navarro. The album was met with mixed reviews and was a major departure from the band's funk-punk sound. The tour to support the album was also met with mixed results. Chad Smith broke his arm prior to the launch of the U.S. tour in 1995 so it was delayed until early 1996. Near the tour's end, Kiedis was involved in a motorcycle accident which left him with a broken arm. The tour ended with the band's final set being cut short due to a massive typhoon. 1997 was dubbed by the band The Year of Nothing.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: The band regrouped in 1998 to begin writing for their seventh studio album; however, Navarro was now battling his own drug problems. This caused major tension between Kiedis and Navarro, who was fired from the band in early 1998. Flea informed Kiedis that he felt the only way the band could possibly continue is if Frusciante re-joined the band. In the years following Frusciante's departure from the Chili Peppers, he had developed a vicious addiction to both heroin and cocaine that left him in poverty and near death. He was talked into admitting himself to drug rehabilitation in January 1998. In April 1998, following Frusciante's three-month completion, Flea visited his former bandmate and openly invited him to re-join the band, an invitation Frusciante readily accepted. Within the week, and for the first time in six years, the foursome gathered to play and jump-started the newly reunited Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band released "Californication" on June 8, 1999. Immediately following the release of "Californication", the band embarked on a world tour to support the record, beginning in the United States. To culminate the US leg of their tour, the Chili Peppers were asked to close Woodstock '99, which became infamous for the violence it resulted in. The band was informed minutes before arriving that the crowds and bonfires in the fields had gone out of control. When the Chili Peppers performed a tribute to Jimi Hendrix's song "Fire" to finish their set as a favor to Hendrix's sister, the disruption escalated into violence when several women who had been crowd surfing and moshing were raped and nearby property was looted and destroyed. Kiedis felt that "It was clear that this situation had nothing to do with Woodstock anymore. It wasn't symbolic of peace and love, but of greed and cashing in... We woke up to papers and radio stations vilifying us for playing 'Fire'."


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: The writing and formation of "By the Way" began immediately following the culmination of "Californication's" world tour, in the Spring of 2001. As with "Californication", much of the creation took place in the band members' homes, and other locations of practice, such as a recording studio stage. Kiedis recalled of the situation: "We started finding some magic and some music and some riffs and some rhythms and some jams and some grooves, and we added to it and subtracted from it and pushed it around and put melodies to it." Frusciante and Kiedis would collaborate for days straight, discussing guitar progressions and sharing lyrics. For Kiedis, "writing "By the Way"...was a whole different experience from "Californication". John was back to himself and brimming with confidence." The album marked a change in the band's sound, and Kiedis began writing songs reflective of his romantic relationships and drug addictions.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: The formation and recording of "Stadium Arcadium" took place at "The Mansion", the former home of Harry Houdini where the Chili Peppers had recorded their 1991 breakthrough "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Kiedis noted that during the recording process of the album "everybody was in a good mood. There was very little tension, very little anxiety, very little weirdness going on and every day we showed up to this funky room in the Valley, and everyone felt more comfortable than ever bringing in their ideas." The album was released on May 9, 2006.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Following a hugely successful world tour to support "Stadium Arcadium", the band decided to take an extended year long break from music in 2008. According to Kiedis, there was a collective decision "not [to] do anything Red Hot Chili Peppers-related for a minimum of one year. [...] We started in 1999, with the writing and the recording of "Californication", and we didn't really stop until the tour ended last year. We were all emotionally and mentally zapped at the end of that run." During the break, Frusciante departed amicably with the band in July 2009 (although it wasn't publicly announced until December 2009). Josh Klinghoffer, a touring guitarist for the Chili Peppers and often collaborator with Frusciante was hired as his replacement.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: On August 26, 2011, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released their tenth album, "I'm with You". On December 7, 2011, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were named 2012 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Kiedis said it was very emotional and the first person he told was his father, who cried when hearing the news. On January 11, 2012, the Chili Peppers announced that they were forced to postpone the U.S. leg of their "I'm with You tour" due to multiple foot injuries suffered by Kiedis. Kiedis has been battling through foot injuries since 2006 when he injured his foot onstage and finally was able to have surgery during a break in the band's tour in January 2012. During the surgery, Kiedis had a crushed sesamoid bone removed and a detached flexor tendon repaired. The band was able to resume their tour and kicked off the U.S. leg on March 29, 2012. The tour in support of "I'm with You" ended in April 2013 and the band continued touring into mid-2014 which included a halftime performance with Bruno Mars at the Super Bowl in February 2014.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: In November 2014, Kiedis set out on a mini-book tour to promote the Chili Peppers book, "Fandemonium". This included book signings, a Q&A and an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" where Kiedis sat in the entire show with The Roots performing Chili Peppers songs.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis received the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, presented at the UCLA Spring Sing on May 16, 2015. Kiedis' mother, Peggy Noble Idema, commented on her son receiving the award by saying "This really makes me proud. Both my parents and Grandpa Idema were huge Gershwin fans. I grew up with their music." Following his acceptance speech, Kiedis was joined on stage by his Chili Peppers bandmate Josh Klinghoffer for an acoustic performance of "Otherside", a cover of Sly and the Family Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay" and "By the Way".


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: On May 14, 2016, the band were forced to cancel their headlining slot at the annual KROQ Weenie Roast, as Kiedis was rushed to the hospital prior to the band appearing on stage. It was confirmed that Kiedis was suffering from intestinal flu and was expected to make a full recovery; however, the band was forced to postpone their iHeartRadio album preview show on May 17, 2016 (rescheduling it for May 26). Kiedis and the Chili Peppers returned to the stage on May 22, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. In a May 20, 2016 interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada, his first since being released from the hospital, Kiedis said that his illness was brought on by an "inflammation in my guts" which he said was complicated by a recent stomach virus and existing scar tissue from previous hernia operations which required his stomach being pumped at the hospital.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: During a break in filming of "The Late Late Show with James Corden" carpool karaoke segment which aired on June 14, 2016, and featured the band singing karaoke to their music with the host while driving through Los Angeles, Kiedis performed emergency CPR on a baby. "A woman came out of her house, holding a child saying, 'My baby, my baby, my baby can't breathe!'" Kiedis said. "The woman thrust the baby into my arms, the baby was not breathing and I thought, 'I'm gonna try and do a little baby CPR real quick, see if I can get some air in this kid. So I started rubbing the belly, bubbles came out of the mouth, the eyes rolled back into place, the ambulance showed up and I handed the baby over, who was now breathing and fine, and we went back to Carpool Karaoke."


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: On October 20, 2018, Kiedis, who was attending the Los Angeles Lakers game with Flea, was ejected from the game for swearing and giving the middle finger to Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: In December 2019, the Red Hot Chili Peppers announced that guitarist John Frusciante would be returning to replace Josh Klinghoffer. As of May 2021, the band had nearly completed their twelfth studio album "Unlimited Love" and on October 7, 2021, the band announced dates for the Global Stadium Tour beginning in June and concluding in September, later extending the tour to the following February. The tour, in support of the album, will feature the band's first ever headlining stadium shows in the United States. Unlimited Love was released on April 1, 2022.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: On December 20, 2021, Kiedis appeared at Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison's third annual Above Ground benefit concert in Los Angeles where they performed a cover of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side". This marked the first time Kiedis and Navarro performed together in 24 years since Navarro was fired from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: On October 12th, 2022, The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their 13th studio album, "Return of the Dream Canteen".


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Using the stage name Cole Dammett (adapted from his father's stage name, Blackie Dammett), Kiedis landed a number of small roles in television and film as a teenager in the late 1970s. His early credits include "F.I.S.T." and the 1978 ABC Afterschool Special "It's a Mile from Here to Glory". Resuming his acting work in the 1990s, Kiedis played a hooligan surfer named Tone, in the 1991 Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze movie "Point Break". "The Chase", a 1994 movie starring Charlie Sheen as an estranged man trying to escape the cops with a young woman he kidnapped, had Flea and Kiedis playing metalheads who chase Sheen's character in a 4 × 4 truck and end up crashing.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis also organized the New American Music Union, a two-day summer music festival set for August 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He assembled a lineup of musicians including Bob Dylan, The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, The Roots, and a second stage featuring college bands. (The lineup did not include Kiedis or the Red Hot Chili Peppers.) In 2011, Kiedis, along with his son Everly, appeared in the documentary, Bob and the Monster. The documentary details the life and career of musician and drug counselor, Bob Forrest. On May 11, 2011, Anthony donated a MTV European Music Award that the band had previously won to help raise funds for ongoing relief in devastated areas of Japan, which was hit with an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis and Flea were executive producers of the 2014 film "Low Down", which is based on the life of jazz pianist Joe Albany.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: In June 2015, Kiedis and his son Everly Bear, along with Cher and Willow Smith, were revealed to be the "new faces" of Marc Jacobs Fall 2015 ad campaign.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: In February 2016, the Chili Peppers performed at the "Feel the Bern" fundraiser in support of Bernie Sanders.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: On January 11, 2019, Kiedis co-authored a Rolling Stone opinion piece with Rory Kennedy, a filmmaker and daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and the Malibu Foundation's Trevor Neilson in which he listed the human, financial and environmental cost of global climate conditions. Kiedis said "since our federal government is failing us, we must rely on our state and local governments to lead the charge." Three days later, Kiedis and the Chili Peppers performed at a benefit for the victims of the Woolsey Fire in California. The fires destroyed over 1,500 homes, killed four people and also forced Kiedis, his family and band members to evacuate their homes as well. The recording of the band's twelfth album was also put on hold due to the deadly fires. Drummer Chad Smith said "myself and Anthony both live in Point Dume. Seventy houses in our neighborhood burned down. Ours was spared, luckily."


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: While creating lyrics and melodies for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiedis has drawn from various sources for inspiration. His first musical memory was hearing Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" at age eleven: "It moved me so much that I insisted my mother buy me the 45." In high school, he was highly influenced by the rap-style vocals of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message" and the "in-your-face sexual lyrics" of Prince's "Dirty Mind". Kiedis writes most of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' lyrics. Starting with 1989's "Mother's Milk" album, John Frusciante and Flea have written nearly all of the music (excluding melodies) for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while Kiedis adds lyrics and melodies he hears during instrumental jams by his bandmates. Kiedis said in 2006, "Somehow I find songs... in the bigness of what they're doing." His lyrical style has varied over the years. During the band's early years, Kiedis wrote many lyrics detailing his enjoyment of sex, drugs, and life in Los Angeles. As his musical tastes expanded and his outlook on life changed, he began writing songs about a wider spectrum of subjects. His lyrics include many of the same themes as the writings of Charles Bukowski, Kiedis' main literary influence.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: His early vocal style with the band primarily consisted of rapping, leading him to be labelled as an influence on the rap rock movement. On "Mother's Milk" (1989), Kiedis wrote more melody-driven songs, rather than the basic rhythm and beat style of funk. The first song where Kiedis employed his new melodic style was "Knock Me Down". The melody was actually shaped and performed by guitarist John Frusciante. Upon joining the band, Frusciante sang lead vocals on the song along with Kiedis. "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" in 1991 still saw Kiedis rapping, but he also started singing in songs such as "Under the Bridge", "Breaking the Girl", and "I Could Have Lied". Over the years, Kiedis grew to favor singing over rapping. Kiedis has had many vocal coaches, but none of them had helped him sing "well." In fact, it was not until 1999's "Californication" that he felt he could take full control of his voice while singing.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: On October 6, 2004, Kiedis published a memoir, "Scar Tissue", which he co-wrote with author Larry Sloman. The book was originally intended to be a collection of stories of his childhood drug use, but evolved into a complete autobiography. He further explained: "One would just kind of assume that with all the [drug] consumption that my memory would be a bit shoddy. But it's actually pretty lucid, and better than both of my parents', or any of my friends'. My friends tried to recount these same stories, and they were like, 'Wow, I don't ... were we there?'" The book was an international bestseller.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: In a June 2016 interview, Kiedis stated that he at first regretted writing "Scar Tissue" saying "I did regret the book for a while as there was some pain caused—then, I started seeing the long term positive reverberating. People were reading it in hospitals, in prisons and schools, and it was having a positive effect. I realised that the whole point of writing that book wasn't for me, but to show that somebody can go all the way down and come all the way back and have a productive, successful happy interesting life. And so whatever shame, pain or difficulty or discomfort I went through, then it was worth it because I get so many people coming up to me saying their kids had read it and got their act together because of it." Kiedis has stated that due to the subject matter in his book, especially his reflections on his sexual relationships, that he hopes that his family hasn't read his book. "I have asked everyone in my family not to read the book." Kiedis said.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis was developing a series for HBO based on his unconventional upbringing in Los Angeles. The show was expected to be loosely based on much of Kiedis' autobiography. He had partnered with Catapult 360 partners Marc Abrams and Michael Benson to create the series, titled "Spider and Son". The series would center on Kiedis's relationship with his father, Blackie Dammett, who sold many drugs and mingled with rock stars on the Sunset Strip, all while aspiring to get into show business. The show was scheduled to premiere in late 2010 at the very earliest.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: According to a post by Blackie on his Facebook page, the John Sayles script for the pilot episode was turned over to HBO on May 10, 2010. On October 14, 2011, it was announced that HBO was no longer interested in the series and that FX has picked up the rights to air the series. John Sayles, who wrote a script for the HBO pilot is no longer involved in the project. "Entourage" producers, Esther Dawson and Mike Chester will still produce the series and Kiedis will also co-produce the series along with Bram Sheldon. It is unknown if the series will still follow the relationship between Kiedis and his father Blackie or if the entire autobiography will be the focus of the series. In 2013, Dammett briefly mentioned the status of the series, which will be based on both Kiedis and Dammett's biographies, but stated that it was "mothballed" with hopes of resuming it once the Chili Peppers concluded their tour that year.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis' father, Blackie Dammett, was an actor who has appeared in over 50 movies and television shows. Dammett's autobiography, "Lords of the Sunset Strip", was released on March 31, 2013. Through Dammett, Kiedis also has a much younger half-brother. During the Chili Peppers show of June 25, 2017, in Grand Rapids, Kiedis dedicated "Soul to Squeeze" to his father, who was suffering from dementia. Dammett died on May 12, 2021.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis claims to have had a brief relationship in 1990 with singer Sinéad O'Connor, who inspired him to write "I Could Have Lied" on 1991's "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", though she denies the relationship. He was also in a brief relationship with Spice Girls singer Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm, who inspired "Emit Remmus" from 1999's "Californication". His band also covered their song "Wannabe" at a 1997 concert in Japan. Kiedis was in a relationship with Yohanna Logan on-and-off from 1998 to 2003. Kiedis had a two year long relationship with Australian model Helena Vestergaard that ended in late 2014; the end of this relationship inspired much of Kiedis' lyricism for "The Getaway."


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis acknowledges in his autobiography "Scar Tissue" that he had intimate relations with a 14-year-old girl, before and after learning of her age, in the 1980s. This inspired him to write the song "Catholic School Girls Rule". In the wake of the Me Too movement, the alleged actions of Kiedis have been criticized by several media outlets, including the Huffington Post.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis was in a relationship with Heather Christie from 2004 to 2008. They have a son born October 2, 2007. In March 2018, Kiedis and Christie were involved in a custody battle.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: In a June 2016 interview, Kiedis opened up about his past relationships, saying that there were years when he had over 100 sexual partners. Kiedis added, "If I saw a pretty girl, I wanted to have her." When asked about marriage and growing old and alone, Kiedis responded, "Maybe it is because I never learned to live in a relationship and as silly as it sounds, I do not understand women yet. They remain a mystery. I talked about this yesterday with a friend: do we focus on finding a person who fits with us, or will we remain single? I am open to both. If the right one comes – wonderful. If not, I accept what the universe has intended for me."


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis has battled drug addiction, including heroin and cocaine, throughout his life. Since his father used drugs regularly, Kiedis was constantly exposed to drug-using and drug-dealing behavior while growing up. Some of Kiedis's early drug use came from substances he got from his father, including marijuana, which he first smoked when he was 12 years old.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis used drugs for years, including during the formation of the band. A few years into the band's career, he was briefly fired due to his heavy drug use. At times, it got so bad that he failed to show up to the band's performances. One night, after Kiedis missed a performance to score drugs, the band replaced him with singer Keith Morris.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis tried to get clean after Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose on June 25, 1988, saying he would never shoot up again. He entered rehab and ended up staying clean for five years, but he relapsed in 1994, causing a major delay in the release of the band's 1995 album, "One Hot Minute". Kiedis kept using on and off over the next six years.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: Kiedis's last major relapse occurred when a doctor prescribed him Tramadol despite Kiedis specifically asking not to be prescribed opiates. To a recovering heroin addict, synthetic opiates give rise to strong cravings. He has reportedly avoided another relapse since December 24, 2000. In May 2012, after over 20 years of speculation, "Vulture" asserted that the location where Kiedis would purchase and use drugs (which inspired "Under the Bridge") is located in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, California, based on clues taken from Kiedis' memoir. In 2014, "LA Weekly" strongly asserted that the conclusion of the "Vulture" magazine piece was incorrect.


title: Anthony Kiedis

text: For over 30 years, Kiedis and Faith No More/Mr. Bungle singer Mike Patton have been involved in an ongoing feud. Prior to that feud, Faith No More (then fronted by Chuck Mosley) and The Red Hot Chili Peppers had toured together. However, things turned ugly between the two bands in 1989 when Kiedis accused Mosley's replacement, Patton, of imitating his style on stage and in their music video for their biggest hit, "Epic". The two took shots at each other in the media throughout 1990.