Actor Jack Black has suspended the tour of his comedic rock duo Tenacious D after bandmate Kyle Gass said on stage that he hopes a shooter doesn’t “miss Trump next time.”
Hours after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Mr. Gass was presented a cake for his birthday Sunday at a Sydney show on the duo’s Spicy Meatball Tour.
Mr. Gass blew out the candles and made a wish, saying, “Don’t miss Trump next time” as the audience laughed, per fan-filmed footage posted to TikTok. Mr. Black, who formed Tenacious D with Mr. Gass in 1994, said he wasn’t expecting the off-color remark.
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. 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,” Mr. Black wrote in a statement on Instagram Tuesday.
Mr. Black has publicly endorsed President Biden. The actor appeared on stage at a June 15 rally in California, telling those assembled that “when democracy is at stake, Jack Black answers the call.”
In addition to its live performances and albums, Tenacious D has portrayed a fictional version on-screen, first in an HBO TV series from 1997 to 2000, then in the 2006 movie “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny.”
Mr. Gass apologized for his Trump diatribe, writing on Instagram the “line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. … What happened was a tragedy, and I’m sorry for my severe lack of judgment.”
Frontier Touring, the company operating the duo’s tour, posted on Instagram that it regrets “to advise that Tenacious D’s concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre [in Broadmeadow, Australia] has been postponed. Ticket holders are asked to hold onto their tickets until further information is available.”
Before the postponement, the tour was set to hit other cities in Australia and New Zealand before returning stateside in October, according to The Associated Press.
Mr. Trump was hit in his ear by gunfire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday. The would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was subsequently killed by Secret Service sniper fire as the former president was whisked to safety.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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