Ethermac Exchange-Jack Black cancels Tenacious D tour as Australia officials criticize Kyle Gass' Trump comment

Actor Jack Black has canceled upcoming tour dates for Tenacious D after his bandmate,Ethermac Exchange Kyle Gass, made a controversial comment about Donald Trump during a show in Australia — a comment that led one politician to call for the deportation of the comedy rock duo.

In a statement shared on social media, Black said he was blindsided by Gass' comment about the shooting at Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on Saturday. Trump survived the attack with a wound to his ear, but the assassination attempt killed one person being killed and critically injured two others. 

Gass made the controversial comment when he was presented with a birthday cake during their Sydney concert and was asked what his birthday wish was. "Don't miss Trump next time," he replies, according to videos from fans in the audience. 

Black laughed at the joke on stage but later said he was blindsided by the comment. "I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form," Black said in a statement Tuesday.

"After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold," he said. "I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding."

Gass also apologized for the remark. "The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake," he said Monday in a statement on social media. "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 judgment. I profoundly apologize to those I've let down and truly regret any pain I've caused."

Gass' agent parted ways with him after the comment, according to BBC News.

An Australian senator called for the deportation of Gass on Monday. "Tenacious D should be immediately removed from the country after wishing for the assassination of Donald Trump at their Sydney concert," Sen. Ralph Babet said in a statement. 

Babet condemned the call for political violence, saying what Gass said was not a joke. "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," Babet said.

"Anything less than deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump, the 45th and soon-to-be 47th President of the United States," said Babet, the only senator from the right-wing United Australia Party.

During the popular Australian radio show "Kyle and Jackie O," host Kyle Sandilands said Tenacious D was now banned from the show, according to local news outlets.

After the shooting, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that he was shocked by the event and relieved that Trump is safe.

"Let us be clear. The people at that event – the candidate, the crowd, the free press covering it – were participating in the democratic process. In Australia, as in the United States, the essence and the purpose of our democracies is that we can express our views, debate our disagreements and resolve our differences peacefully," said Albanese, a member of the center-left Australian Labor Party, adding that any act of violence is an affront to democracy that should be condemned. 

Other comedians have previously been criticized for appearing to encourage violence against Trump. In 2017, Kathy Griffin released an image of a fake Trump head, severed from his body and dripping in blood. 

Griffin apologized for the video, which nearly cost the comedian her career, with her tour canceled, CNN ending her job as New Year's Eve host alongside Anderson Cooper, being investigated and being added to a no-fly list.

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.