Jack Black: Tenacious D Will Return

UPDATE Aug 8, 2024 7:23 AM CDT

Comedy rock duo Tenacious D's tour came to an abrupt end last month after Kyle Gass joked about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but they will return, Jack Black says. "We need to take a break. Everybody needs a break sometime," he told Variety at the premiere of his latest movie, Borderlands, on Tuesday night. "And we'll be back." One Australian lawmaker called for the band to be deported after Gass, asked to make a wish during a birthday celebration onstage, said, "Don't miss Trump next time." Black, asked if he had talked Gass since the tour was canceled, said, "Yeah, we're friends. That hasn't changed. These things take time sometimes." Gass has apologized for his "severe lack of judgment."

Jul 16, 2024 10:32 AM CDT

The comedy rock duo Tenacious D—made up of Jack Black and Kyle Gass—has canceled the rest of their tour after Gass' remarks about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. While onstage at a concert in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, Gass was presented with a birthday cake and asked to "make a wish" by Black. Gass responded, "Don't miss Trump next time," a reference to the rally shooting a day before. The video of Gass was widely circulated on social media, reports the AP.

• Black: "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," Black said in a Tuesday statement on Instagram. "After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold."
• Gass: Following Black's statement, Gass apologized. "The line I improvised Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake," he wrote on Instagram. "I don't condone violence in any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I'm incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement."

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The BBC reports that one Australian senator, Ralph Babet, wants the band deported over the incident, saying they should "be immediately removed from the country after wishing for the assassination of Donald Trump at their Sydney concert." The band recently completed dates in the US and Europe. Their "Spicy Meatball Tour" was slated to continue Tuesday night in Newcastle, hitting most major cities in Australia and New Zealand this month before returning to the US for a select few dates in October. "Frontier Touring regret to advise that Tenacious D's concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre has been postponed," their touring company announced. (More Jack Black stories.)