10 Things You Didn’t Know about Ivan Moody

Five Finger Death Punch are one of the biggest names in heavy metal, and it’s been that way ever since they released their debut album in 2007. To date, they’ve released eight studio albums (4 of which certified gold, 3 of which certified platinum) and 32 singles, won countless awards, survived several lineup changes, and inspired dozens of would-be metalheads to pick up a guitar and start screaming. Their lead singer is Ivan Moody, a 41-year-old from Colorado with a passion for collecting comic books and a taste for CBD. Find out more with these 10 things you didn’t know about Ivan Moody.

1. He’s been singing since he was a kid

Moody was born in Denver, Colorado but spent most of his early summers with his grandparents in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It was his grandmother, who’d always been a big music fan herself, that turned him onto singing – after she enrolled him in a choir when he was 7, he realized that he got as much of a kick out of creating music as listening to it. Although he left the choir after a few years, it’d done its job: as soon as he turned 16, he started performing regularly at bars and venues around his hometown.

2. He’s a recovering alcoholic

In 2012, Moody came close to getting fired from Five Finger Death Punch after his drinking problem spiraled out of control. 4 years later, things were no better: during one concert in Worcester, Moody was escorted off stage, clearly inebriated, after declaring his mother was dying that very night. His younger sister later told reporters their mom was alive and well. The incident proved to be a turning point, and a few months later, Moody took a leave of absence from the band to enter rehab. He’s now been sober since early 2018.

3. He credits his sobriety to CBD

If there’s one thing Moody credits for his ongoing sobriety above anything else, it’s CBD. Speaking to loudwire.com, he explained how his passion for CBD and his struggles to find products without an alcohol base inspired him to create his own line of wellness products, Moody’s Medicinals. “I use throat sprays on stage, but most of the throat sprays I was using had alcohol or other carcinogens in them, stuff I wanted to keep away from myself,” he said. “So I started making a recipe for my own throat spray that was more of a natural approach to everything.”

4. He’s had brushes with the law

CBD may have helped turned Moody into an upstanding citizen, but back when he was relying on alcohol rather than cannaboids to get him through the day, he was neither upstanding nor citizenly. His first brush with the law came in February 2014 when he was charged with assaulting a female flight attendant. Just over a year later, he was arrested in Las Vegas for viciously beating his partner of 17 years, Holly Smith, and threatening to kill her. The battery charges were later dropped, but Smith filed for divorce after showing evidence of continuous domestic abuse. His mother and sister both filed for restraining orders against the singer at around the same time, alleging that he had a history of violence against women.

5. He’s an award winner

Over the years, Moody has received numerous awards, including a ‘Best Band’ title in 2003 while he was still performing with Motograter, and a Best New Band award at the 2009 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, the Most Promising Artist award from FMQB’s 2009 year-end Metal poll, the Best Breakthrough Band award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, and the Best Song title at the 2014 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards for his work with Five Finger Death Punch.

6. He’s dabbled in acting

When Moody left Wisconsin for L.A. in his early 20s, his first job was as a production assistant on video shots. Since then, he’s continued his association with the film industry, appearing in several films (most notably “Bled” in 2009, “The Devil’s Carnival” in 2012, and “The Retaliators” in 2021), and scoring an executive producer credit on the 2003 remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (which, coincidently, also features Motograter’s debut single, “Suffocate,” on its soundtrack).

7. He’s a big fan of snowboarding

Extreme sports are something Moody takes in his stride. Speaking to DaBelly magazine, he described himself as a “sincere snowboarder.” When he’s not tackling the slopes, he’s collecting comic books, watching horror films, or writing.

8. He’s still in the band

In April 2021, Moody hit the headlines after announcing he’d left Five Finger Death Punch via his official Instagram profile. Expect he didn’t and he hadn’t. His post, which even Moody has admitted may have been a little vague, explained that he was working on some new songs for a new solo project that he was expecting to come out soon. The music press being the music press decided to put a spin on his words and announce to the world that Moody and the band had parted ways. Taking to the band’s official website the following day, Moody was quick to clarify that his solo work would be done as a side project, rather than a replacement, and he had no intention of quitting Five Finger Death Punch any time soon.

9. He’s a grandpa

Back last year, the then-40-year-old Moody became a grandfather for the first time when his eldest daughter had a baby. Speaking via Kerrang!, Moody explained that while he’s thrilled at the new addition to the family, he’s not quite ready to embrace being called grandpa. “It’s fantastic, man,” he said. ​“I call it legend versus legacy, my man, and it’s really what you leave behind. And to know that, you know, my kids are coming to an age when they’re having their own kids. It’s cool, brother. I really dig it, but at the same time, not still willing to accept the ​‘grandpa’ term yet.”

10. He’s a multi-millionaire

Over the past two decades, Moody has sold millions of records, scored #1 singles, starred in movies, and discovered the money-spinning potential of CBD. All the hard work has clearly paid off: according to Celebrity Net Worth, he’s now worth the mammoth sum of $7 million.

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