Tenacious D, the comedy rock duo comprised of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, has canceled the remainder of its ongoing tour and announced that “all future creative plans are on hold” following comments Gass made onstage in Australia on Sunday regarding the recent assassination attempt on former U.S. president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The incident at Sunday’s concert in Sydney occurred during a mid-show birthday celebration for Gass. After leading the crowd in a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” and presenting Gass with a cake via a prop robot, Black told Gass to make a wish.
“Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass responded, presumably referencing the Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday during which a gunman opened fire, grazing Trump’s ear with a bullet in addition to killing one attendee and critically injuring two more. Watch a clip of the exchange below.
I used to love @tenaciousd and thought Jack Black was funny. None of them or their music/movies will ever be played in our home again. Ever. Sickening. Not funny and done in a foreign country is even worse. If you think it’s OK, unfollow and block me. pic.twitter.com/2KG2uzUKEY
— Chris Loesch 𝕏 (@ChrisLoesch) July 15, 2024
Early Tuesday morning, prior to the tour cancellation announcement, Frontier Touring, the promoter of the band’s scheduled Tuesday night show in Newcastle, Australia, posted that this evening’s show had been “postponed,” with ticketholders asked to “hold onto their tickets until further information is available.” Various commenters on the post noted that they were already lined up at the venue for the performance.
Jack Black took to Instagram on Tuesday to issue a statement on Gass’ comments. “I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” he wrote. “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form. After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
As Gass added in a subsequent post of his own, “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and 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.” Comments on both Black and Gass’ posts have been disabled.
Following the Newcastle show, the Tenacious D Spicy Meatball Tour was due to continue through Australia and New Zealand this month. In October Black and Gass were scheduled to mount a five-date Rock the Vote Tour in the U.S. stopping in electoral swing states including Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
As of publication time, the “tour” page on the band’s website appears to have been cleared entirely. Details on refunds for the various canceled Tenacious D performances have not yet been provided.
Read the full statements from Jack Black and Kyle Gass on the cancellation of the ongoing Tenacious D tour below.
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