Jack Black hints at Tenacious D split as he denounces ‘hate speech’ following Trump shooting joke

Actor and musician said he was ‘blindsided’ by joke made during Australian show by bandmate Kyle Gass, who has also apologised for his ‘terrible mistake’

Jack Black has hinted at the split of his rock band Tenacious D following criticism over a joke made about Donald Trump’s attempted assassination at a show in Australia.

In a statement released Tuesday (16 July) on is official Instagram, Black said he was “blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday” and that he would “never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form”.

Tenacious D were due to play Newcastle tonight, but that sold-out show was cancelled without notice this afternoon.

“After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold,” Black continued in his statement. “I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”

Black and his Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass were performing at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Australia on Saturday (July 13), after the former president was shot in the ear at his Pennsylvania rally earlier that day.

In celebration of Gass’s 64th birthday, which fell on Sunday (July 14), Black, 54, presented him with a cake on stage. “Make a wish,” the School of Rock star can be heard telling Gass in footage shared on TikTok. As Gass blew out the candles, he said: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”

The joke drew immediate backlash online, while Senator Ralph Babet, leader of the United Australia Party, released a statement on Monday demanding that Black and Gass be deported from the country.

Babet claimed that Gass’s comment was not a joke, and called upon Australia’s immigration minister Andrew Giles to “revoke their visas”, adding: “Anything less than a deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and the attempted assassination of Donald J Trump.”

Gass on Tuesday also issued his first statement on the joke, but did not hint at the band’s overall future.

“The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake,” Gass wrote on his Instagram. “I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly aplogise to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”

Trump was speaking at a political rally over the weekend when he was shot at by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks in an assassination attempt on the former president’s life.

Crooks, who was a registered Republican, fired eight shots, killing one person in the crowd and injuring at least two more besides Trump, before he was killed by a sniper.

The gunman’s motive remains unclear, although the FBI is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the shooting as a possible act of domestic terrorism.

Later that evening, country singer Jason Aldean dedicated his controversial 2023 hit “Try That in a Small Town” to his “friend” Trump.

“Just goes to show you there’s a lot of bulls*** in the world, and that’s kind of what this song right here was about, so this one goes out to the Pres,” Aldean told the crowd.