Jack Black’s Tenacious D cancels tour after bandmate makes onstage Trump assassination joke

Jack Black announced Tuesday that Tenacious D, the actor and musician’s comedy-rock band, would be ending its world tour after his bandmate joked on stage about the assassination attempt of former President Trump.

The big picture: Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass’ quip about Saturday’s shooting at a Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump rally that left the Republican nominee bloodied and one rally-goer dead was swiftly condemned online, including by his bandmate and decades-long friend.

Driving the news: During a Sunday night show in Sydney, Gass was given a birthday cake, social media videos show. When he blew out the candles, he made a wish into his microphone: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”

• Black wrote in a statement posted to Instagram that he was “blindsided by what was said at the show” on Sunday.
• “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” he added.
• “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold.”

Zoom in: Gass apologized for the comment in an Instagram post saying, writing, “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,” Gass continued.

What they’re saying: Elon Musk, responding to a clip of the incident shared by X user “Libs of TikTok” slammed Gass’ comment as “Evil.”

• Australian Sen. Ralph Babet, from the conservative United Australia Party, in a Tuesday statement denounced the band and called for its members to be “deported immediately.”

Flashback: The “School of Rock” actor appeared at a star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser last month for President Biden.

• Wearing a shirt depicting the president with glowing red eyes and U.S. flag overalls (a look he called “the most patriotic outfit of all times”), Black gave an impassioned speech-slash-standup-routine, saying, “When democracy is at stake, Jack Black answers the call.”

Go deeper: Why CEOs are speaking out about Trump assassination attempt