Tenacious D, the band led by actor Jack Black, is calling off its tour and putting “all future creative plans on hold” after band member Kyle Gass made a joke about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday.
Gass joked, “Don’t miss Trump next time,” on stage during a show on the Australia leg of their tour in Sydney after he was told to make a wish while blowing out candles on a birthday cake.
Gass, 64, issued an apology Tuesday morning, writing the line was “highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake.”
“I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone,” Gass said on Instagram. “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.”
Black himself had said on Instagram earlier Tuesday morning that he was “blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday.”
“I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black wrote on social media. “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.”
Black formed Tenacious D alongside Gass after the two young comedic actors met in Los Angeles in the 1990s. They released their self-titled debut album in September 2001, just after Black’s breakout role in the cult classic film “High Fidelity.”
Kyle Gass and Jack Black of Tenacious D perform at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on December 30, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The debut album went platinum in the U.S. and U.K. The group released the movie “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny” in 2006.
The group released three more albums after their debut: “The Pick of Destiny” (2006), “Rize of the Fenix” (2012) and “Post-Apocalypto” (2018).
Tenacious D had five more shows in Australia and New Zealand before returning to the U.S. for five shows in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Black is a big supporter of President Joe Biden and has taken part in fundraisers for the current president.
Australian Sen. Ralph Babet, a fervent Trump supporter, even pushed Tuesday for the prime minister to deport Black and Gass after the comment.
“I call on the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese to join me in denouncing Tenacious D, Jack Black and band member Kyle Gass, and I call on the immigration Minister Andrew Giles to revoke their visas and deport them immediately,” Babet wrote in a letter.