Did the Trump Assassination Attempt Lead to the End of Tenacious D?

The fallout from Donald Trump’s near-assassination continues to work its way through the celebrity world. Now, Kyle Gass of Tenacious D is under fire for cracking a joke about the assassination attempt at a concert—and his bandmate Jack Black has reacted strongly. It’s not a good day to be a Tenacious D fan, there’s no denying that.

Gass made his comment at a Tenacious D gig in Sydney, Australia. It was his birthday, and Black suggested he make a wish. Gass quipped “Don’t miss Trump next time”—after the assassination attempt, social media was filled with similar jokes, ill-advised though they might be—and the audience laughed. But then things got serious very quickly. Australian federal senator Ralph Babet wrote an overwrought letter calling for the band to be deported from Australia, and multiple “free speech absolutists” on social media forgot their principles and called for Gass to face consequences.

This is all compounded by Jack Black’s public support of Joe Biden. Back in June, he gave a speech in support of Biden’s campaign, drawing ire from Trump supporters who suddenly believed celebrities should stay away from politics despite Trump himself having started as a “celebrity.”

Jack Black didn’t condone Kyle Gass’s comments

It’s unsurprising, considering the stakes at play, that Jack Black is now heavily distancing himself from Gass’s comments. And he’s even gone so far as to cancel the current world tour.

On July 16, Black wrote on Instagram today that he “would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” and the band’s “creative plans are on hold.” Frontier Touring, the promoters of the tour, advised on social media that “Ticket holders are asked to hold onto their tickets until further information is available.”

While we can’t know what goes on behind closed doors, it seems like the Trump comment has caused a rift between Gass and Black. Twitter/X is currently full of people suggesting that Black “threw Gass under the bus” out of fear of losing movie roles. The platform is as divided about the issue as you would expect, considering the current state of American politics.

Gass took to social media to apologize for making the remark, saying,

“The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”

It will be interesting to see if the reaction is the same when next a Republican wishes violence on a person or a group they don’t like.