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Kyle Gass Tenacious D The apology on Instagram was deleted. Strong backlash Controversial comments about former president US President Donald Trump during the band’s Sydney concert.
The incident, which took place on July 14th, had a major impact on both Gus and the band.
During the show at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Sydney, Jack Black presented Gus with a birthday cake onstage.
When asked what he wished for, Gass joked, “Please don’t let Trump get away next time,” referencing the recent assassination attempt on the former president. While the comment initially drew laughter from the audience, it quickly drew widespread criticism.
Following the uproar, Gass initially apologized on Instagram, saying, “I do not condone violence of any kind or form towards anyone. What happened was tragic and I deeply regret my lack of judgment. I am deeply sorry to those I let down and truly regret any pain I have caused,” but the apology has since been removed from his account.
The fallout from Gus’ joke caused a domino effect, leading to Gus Dropped by an agentand the rest Tenacious DThe band’s tour was cancelled. Gus’ bandmate Jack Black released a statement expressing his regret and announcing that Tenacious D would no longer be performing with the band. In a surviving post on Black’s Instagram, he wrote:
“I was astonished by what was said on Sunday’s show. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.”
He continued, “After much consideration, I no longer feel it is appropriate for me to continue touring with Tenacious D and all future creative plans have been put on hold. I thank my fans for their support and understanding.”
Frontier Touring has cancelled six shows in Australia and New Zealand, including Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Wellington and Auckland, while the status of Tenacious D’s five US shows scheduled for October remains unclear.
Australian ex Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Caught in the drama, news “I find it disgusting that someone would joke about violence. It’s physically disgusting. I guess it might be considered a bit ‘funny’ to blurt something out at a concert,” he said this week.
“No,” he said. “This is not the case. This is a threat to human life, this is an attempted assassination of the former president and the next president of the United States, depending on the vote of the American people. This is the murder of innocent civilians and the serious injury of two.”
“These people need to grow up and find decent jobs,” Rudd added.
United Australian Party senator Ralph Babett also called on the federal government to expel Tenacious D from the country in response to Gass’s comments.
“I call on Premier Anthony Albanese to join me in condemning Tenacious D, Jack Black and band member Kyle Gass and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to revoke their visas and deport them immediately,” Babette said in a statement.
As of now, Gus’ most recent Instagram post shows a video of him flying over Sydney Harbour, with the playful caption: “Birthday helicopter ride around Sydney Harbour hours before the storm.”
