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COMEDIAN AND ACTOR Jack Black has cancelled the Tenacious D world tour after his bandmate Kyle Gass joked about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump while on stage.
Tenacious D are a comedy rock group and were performing in Sydney, Australia on Sunday night when Black presented Gass with a birthday cake to mark his 64th birthday.
After singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Gass, Black asked him to “make a wish”.
“Don’t miss Trump next time,” replied Gass.
'Don't miss #Trump next time' - #JackBlack's bandmate pic.twitter.com/rYDcidopRw
— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) July 16, 2024
While Jack Black's Tenacious D was performing in #Australia’s ICC Sydney Theatre, #KyleGass, the second band member, made the controversial statement as a birthday wish.
In footage by fans, Blake…
One spectator was killed and two others were seriously injured, and the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew, was killed by a US Secret Service sniper.
In a statement on Instagram, Kyle Gass said the line was “improvised” and described it as “highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake”.
He added that he doesn’t “condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone”.
He described the assassination attempt on Trump as a “tragedy” and apologised for his “severe lack of judgement” and added that he “truly regrets any pain I’ve caused”.
Jack Black meanwhile said he was “blindsided” by Gass’s comments.
Also takingto Instagram, Black added that he would “never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form”.
He said that “after much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour”.
He also said that “all future creative plans are on hold”.
Black said he is “grateful to the fans for their support and understanding”.
The band had been due to play in Newcastle, Australia this evening and had further shows planned for Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, as well as shows in Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand.
Tenacious D also played a sold-out gig in Dublin’s 3Arena in March.
Meanwhile, Australia Senator Ralph Babet has called for Tenacious D to be “deported immediately”.
Babet is a senator for United Australia, which is a right-wing party.
“To advocate and or wish for the assassination of a President is egregious, disgusting, filthy, evil, and not acceptable in any way, shape or form,” said Babet.
There is no place in Australia for those who wish for the assassination of others. pic.twitter.com/wuvgQxeeDS
— Senator Babet (@senatorbabet) July 16, 2024
He also claimed that Gass’s comments were “not a joke” and that Gass was “deadly serious when he wished for the death of the President”.
Babet called on Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese to denounce Tenacious D and on the immigration minister Andrew Giles to “revoke their visas and deport them immediately”.
He claimed that “anything less than deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and attempted assassination of Donald Trump”.
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Seems a bit excessive.
@Brian Dunne: I think Jack Black is showing unity, even if it means cancelling a show for a terrible comment made by his friend and band mate. It takes courage to cancel a tour compromising your business to stand for what’s right. This is an example to follow. This could be a good moment for America to heal and stop the divisive society.
@J Ven: Agreed. He is very much not a fan of Trump, but that country needs more examples like this
@J Ven: it’s grandstanding to the detriment of fans that spend their hard earned money to see them. It’s ridiculous and precious from Jack Black. It will take more than a meaningless token gesture by a washed up actor and his comedy metal band to heal America.
Drama queens
The rightwing party of Australia are against freedom of speech and are actively seeking to cancel someone?
@William Slevin: #0.9% of support!!!!! Pipe down Klansman
@William Slevin: The start of what? Single digit percentiles?
@William Slevin: #0.9%!!!!!! Your KKK parties have been around election after election and got rejected in every single one, klansman. #0.9%
@William Slevin: #0.9% precious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@William Slevin: How many times will you be told. You really need to learn how to spell and construct a sentence. I know the likes of Trump and other authoritarians love the poorly educated but you really could do better in communicating your twisted thoughts on things.
@William Slevin: With the increase you had, in an 100 years, you will have a few TDs, maybe.
@William Slevin: Except if the councillors in question prove to be useless at being councillors and so far they have not exactly excelled!
Easy to Howl at the Moon and chant slogans.
Lot harder doing the work!
@William Slevin: so you are looking forward the conditions in the country getting worse so your silly wee racist friends can get elected?
Sounds about RIGHT for your lot
@William Slevin: tell us how there’s a mass concerted effort against you and how you’re the victim of persecution… “Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself”
@William Slevin: “again its a start to build from…and as the country worsens so will that vote share grow”
How? Do you REALLY think all of us democratic FF/FG/LAB/PBP voters are going to somehow eventually decide “You know what? Those bus burners waving tricolours about like idiotic children are actually RIGHT!”.
Gotta’ love your optimism tho’, misplaced as it is. :)
@William Slevin: You’re irrelevant.
Wow.. Comedian makes joke. Everybody takes it waaaaaay too seriously. We are truly living in the world of the weak !
@John C: It’s no laughing matter. Somebody should really look into the accuracy of those AR-15′s.
@John C: Ricky Gervais needs to have a word in Jack’s Ear to man up.
Oh FFS. They’re a comedy rock act, both of which are supposed to be subversive. Shame on Jack Black.
@ecrowley ecrowley: Only takes another looney with a gun, when they get back to the states. Close the tour and say sorry and hope for the best. That is their plan.
@Gary Kearney: A simple, “only joking” immediately after the JOKE, and that’d have been the end of it. Quick thinking improv mustn’t be in Jack’s repertoire. Cancelling a tour is daft.
What was is Trump said about Hilary during the campaigning in 2016? ‘Someone oughta take a shot at her’ or something along those lines?
@Ronan Mc: That wasn’t Trump, it was Al Baldasaro who said “Hillary Clinton is a disgrace for the lies that she told those mothers about their children that got killed over there in Benghazi. She dropped the ball on over 400 emails requesting backup security. Something’s wrong there. This whole thing disgusts me,” he concluded. “Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason.” He made the comments on a Radio Show in Boston.
Nevermind Trump. They should be deported for crimes against music and comedy.
@Mies Valkenburg:
I saw them by accident backing Metallica, they were really good, I wanted to hate them but musically a novelty act and really good at it.
So if the Australian government don’t deport Tenacious D they endorse the shooting and attempted assassination of Trump???
@Stanley Marsh: right wing logic
@Stanley Marsh: wonder are they so vocal on Gaza. Crazy it was a joke
Sure sign Trump is going to be reelected
Jesus some people need to get a life or some kind of hobby. Glad I learned a skill when I was young. Slevin + No life.Learn a skill man
Jack wasn’t long about throwing his old friend under the bus.
@Don Johnson: I don’t think he did. He was on damage limitation. Even Gass apologised immediately after.
@Don Johnson: He went into defense mode for the band and the entire team. They could have played out the tour safely enough but what about getting home to the US.
Big difference, and a lot of people would have been seen as targets by some people. As well as their families.
He did the right thing.
That Babet is a clown. It was Kyle who made the comment, not Jack black so why he is calling for both to be deported? Love a deportation do the right wing
@M To The B: Like a lot of politicians here, he loves a headline!
I haven’t looked up Juice Media Honest Ads for a while.
They should have a good take on this.
@Stanley Marsh: Just looked the up, brilliant site. Wonderful Aussie Parody Advertisement.
It’s was a tame joke at best.
Never liked Jack Black…like him even less now if that’s possible “hate speech” You little toad Black.
Hdhsuueirjf
Sounds like he was looking for an excuse to sack off the tour to me.
have your say