After bandmate Kyle Gass stirred up controversy with a remark regarding the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, Jack Black has announced that he has canceled the remaining dates of Tenacious D’s global tour.
On Sunday, as the comedic rock ensemble was performing in Sydney, Australia, Gass was given a cake for his 64th birthday and asked to make a wish.
Looks like his response was, “Don’t miss Trump the next time.”
Black said he was “blindsided” by the insult in an Instagram statement.
The comedian and actor wrote, “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.”
He declared that the remaining members of the band’s “creative plans are on hold” and that it was not “appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour”.
“Thankful to the fans for their support and understanding,” Black continued.
The performance in Newcastle, New South Wales, on Tuesday was already rescheduled as a result of the issue.
Gass expressed regret on Instagram for the remark, calling it a “severe lack of judgement”.
The statement he improvised on stage in Sydney on Sunday night was incredibly inappropriate, risky, and a terrible error, he wrote.
“I oppose all forms of violence against anyone, in any form. It was a catastrophe, and I sincerely apologize for my gravely imprudent behavior. I really regret any hurt I may have caused and offer my sincere apologies to everyone I have let down.”
After the incident, Gass also broke up with his agency.
“We have parted ways due to what transpired,” Michael Greene of Greene Talent said to BBC News.
In concert footage from Sydney, many members of the audience can be heard laughing, but Elon Musk, the owner of X, called the comment “evil” and it sparked a backlash on social media.
The lone member of parliament for the United Australia Party, Senator Ralph Babet, requested that the band be deported.
He declared in a statement that the two ought to “be removed from the country immediately after wishing for the assassination of Donald Trump at their Sydney concert”.
When questioned about the remarks at the RNC, Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd stated he was “physically ill” that anyone would make light of such brutality.
“Some may believe that talking nonstop about this stuff at a concert is kind of humorous. It’s not. It has to do with bodily life, stated Australia’s previous prime minister.
“All these people have to do is mature and get a good job.”
At a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a gunman opened fire, striking Trump in the ear.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Republican registered worker from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was the gunman who attacked Trump, according to the FBI.
After Crooks fired shots at the former president, a Secret Service sniper fatally shot him. Two spectators suffered significant injuries, and one spectator lost their life.
