Topics: Jack Black, Donald Trump, Australia, Music, Celebrity
Tenacious D co-founder Kyle Gass has spoken out after Jack Black made the decision to cancel the band's world tour over the comment he made about Donald Trump's assassination attempt.
Gass sparked controversy on Sunday (July 14) when he and Black appeared as Tenacious D at Australia’s ICC Sydney Theatre for a gig amid their world tour.
The performance came one day after a shooter targeted Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania, leaving the former president bleeding from the ear.
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Trump was taken to hospital after the attack, and later described hearing the bullet 'ripping through the skin'.
President Joe Biden is among those who said they were 'grateful to hear that [Trump was] safe and doing well' in the wake of the shooting, but Gass shocked members of the public with a different response.
During the gig on Sunday, Black presented Gass with a cake to celebrate his birthday. When the School of Rock actor urged his bandmate to make a wish, Gass appeared to say: "Don’t miss Trump next time."
In the wake of backlash to the comment, Black announced the decision to cancel the rest of Tenacious D's tour.
"I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday," Black wrote in a post on Instagram. "I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.
"After much reflection, I no longer feel that it's appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold.
"I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding."
Gass himself has now addressed his comment in a statement of his own, saying: "The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake."
"I don't condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone," he continued on Instagram.
"What happened was a tragedy, and I'm incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologize to those I've let down and truly regret and pain I've caused."
Tenacious D is set to provide fans who had tickets to their upcoming shows with information and refunds will be provided at a later date.
Trump has thanked 'the United States Secret Service and all of Law Enforcement' for their quick response to the attack in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The US Secret Service confirmed in a statement that staff 'neutralized the shooter', who was later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
