The band, Tenacious D, was playing in Sydney when Black presented Gass with a birthday cake onstage, sang "Happy Birthday" to him, and told him to “make a wish.”
After blowing out his candles, Gass replied: “Don’t miss Trump next time,” a reference to the recent assassination attempt against the former president. The crowd at the ICC Sydney Theatre could be heard laughing at the tasteless joke, which referred to an event at which one man lost his life shielding his family from gunfire and two others were critically injured.
One audience member told Yahoo News: “You could hear a couple of ‘oohhs’ — like too soon sort of vibes — but the vast majority was laughter.”
This exchange led to a call from an Australian lawmaker imploring the country’s immigration minister to revoke their visas and have them deported.
Australian Senator Ralph Babet wrote on X: “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."
“This was not a joke, he was deadly serious when he wished for the death of the President.”
He added: “Anything less than a deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and the attempted assassination of Donald J Trump.”
Gass' agent dropped him over comment
The fallout was swift and severe. Gass’ Hollywood talent representative, Michael Greene of Greene Talent, acknowledged parting ways with him.
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For his part, Black claims that he was “blindsided by what was said at the show.”
He stated: “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form. After much reflection, I no longer feel it is 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.”
However, footage of the exchange shared on social media tells a different story. Rather than seeming blindsided, Black laughs hysterically at Gass’ “joke” and then says, “Thank you.”
It seems far more likely that it was the backlash, rather than the comment itself, that prompted the band to call off its “Spicy Meatball Tour.” They were scheduled to play in Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide before heading to New Zealand and then back to the U.S.
Apology comes only after backlash
Gass has also apologized, writing in an Instagram post: “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.
“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 any pain I’ve caused.”
Last month, Black appeared on the same stage as President Biden and former president Barack Obama at a celebrity fundraiser that raised more than $30 million. He warned at the event that “democracy is at stake.”
However, he and his bandmate are clearly not supporting Biden’s call to cool down the political rhetoric following the shooting. The president said: “We can’t allow this violence to be normalized. The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do this.”
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