Jack Black Cancels Tenacious D World Tour After Bandmate Jokes About Trump Assassination Attempt

2024-07-17 00:45:29

Jack Black abruptly ended the world tour of his comedy rock band Tenacious D on Tuesday, after bandmate Kyle Gass joked on stage about the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump.

“I was taken aback by what was said at the show on Sunday,” Write Black in an Instagram post shared on Tuesday. “I would never indulge in hate speech or incite political violence of any kind.

“After much consideration, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour,” he said, “and all creative plans for the future are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”

During Tenacious D’s show in Sydney on Sunday night, Gass was presented with a birthday cake that looked like a robot, according to a video of the event posted on social media. Asked to make a wish, Gass blew out the candles and said, “Don’t miss Trump next time” — a reference to the lone gunman who opened fire on former president Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on a day before that. The shooting left one person dead and many injured, including Trump, who was seen with blood on his ear and face.

The Sydney crowd responded with a mix of boos and cheers. Outside the center, Black’s critics did not hold back.

Elon Musk called the “bad” joke on X, and an Australian federal Senator Ralph Babet he called for the heavy rock band to be deported from his country and their visas revoked. “There is no place in Australia for those who wish to assassinate others,” he wrote.

Early Tuesday morning, Frontier Touring, which is promoting the Tenacious D and the Spicy Meatball Tour, Announced that Tuesday’s show at the Newcastle Entertainment Center in Australia had been postponed. Black’s post about the tour’s cancellation came shortly after trade publications began reporting on the postponed show.

Gass also apologized for the incident on Tuesday, writing in Instagram post“The line I did on stage on Sunday night in Sydney was very inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake.

“I do not condone violence of any kind, of any kind, to anyone,” Gass added. “What happened was a tragedy, and I am very sorry for my lack of judgement. I deeply apologize to those I let down and I regret any pain I may have caused.”

Before the tour was cancelled, Tenacious D was scheduled to perform a few more dates in Australia, as well as a pair of shows in New Zealand.

The band also has dates scheduled in the United States this fall for the Tenacious D: Rock D Vote Tour. Reps for Tenacious D declined to comment beyond Black’s statement.

The attack generated a wave of sympathy for the victims and well-wishes for Trump, and the violence has been condemned even by some of his harshest critics. Musk posted a full endorsement of the former president after the shooting, and Kid Rock strongly disagreed his support for Trump. Jason Aldean performed Trump’s “Try That in a Small Town” during a Nashville concert Saturday after the shooting, which happened in Butler, Pa., a town of about 13,000 people. President Biden called the attack “sickening,” and his campaign quickly pulled down his political ads.

Especially in the early months of his presidency, Trump encouraged some comedians and performers to fantasize about his death, or other personal tragedies. In 2017, comedian Kathy Griffin sparked outrage when she posted a photo of herself wearing a mask of Trump’s severed head. CNN later fired Griffin as co-host of New Year’s Eve.

In his 2016 song “Bad Boy on Death Row,” Dave East said, “Donald Trump ain’t safe on my block, get your wife at IHOP.” The punk band Cabbage was a little more direct with their 2016 song “Free Steven Avery (Wrong America),” which features the chorus: “Death to Donald Trump/Death to Donald Trump/ There’s something about politics in America.”

Eminem was visited by the Secret Service, according to a report from BuzzFeed Newsafter releasing his 2017 track “Framed” with lyrics about Ivanka Trump turning up in the trunk of his car.

And the comedian Tim Heidecker released “Too Dumb to Suicidal” the same year, with album art depicting Trump trying to shoot himself in the head with a blow dryer (or something like that). One track, “Trump’s Private Pilot,” imagined an aviator deliberately crashing into a field with Trump on board. The same song was covered by Father John Misty.

Trump-themed assassination humor seems to be much scarcer in the days since Saturday’s attack. On social media, several comedians shared 50 Cent’s album cover with Trump’s face superimposed on it (joking how the shooting happened to both Trump and the rapper). 50 Cent himself later post the album cover on X, then use it during live performanceswhich fueled unfounded rumors that the rapper would support Trump at this week’s Republican National Convention.