Tenacious D frontman Kyle Gass has deleted his Instagram post apologizing after backlash over comments he made about Donald Trump on stage in Sydney. The musician initially wrote that he regretted saying “don't miss Trump next time” in response to the attempted assassination of the Republican candidate, saying: “I'm so sorry for my gross lack of judgment.”
The apology posted on Instagram earlier this week has been deleted. There are now two new posts on Gus's account, one of which references an early acting role in the film. A fashion model One is a reference to the Sydney incident. The last is a video of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the air with the caption “Birthday helicopter ride around Sydney Harbour, hours before the storm 😉”. It is unclear why Gus deleted the apology.
Since Sunday night’s show at Sydney’s ICC Theatre, there has been a major fallout for Gass and Tenacious D. The band has cancelled all remaining dates on their Spicy Meatball tour, as well as all future creative endeavors involving the comedy duo. Black, who presented Gass with a birthday cake on stage when his bandmate made a controversial wish about Trump, said he was also surprised.
“I was shocked by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never support hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black wrote on Instagram Tuesday morning. “After much consideration, 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.”
In a separate statement, Gass issued his own (now deleted) apology. He wrote: “The line I improvised on stage Sunday night in Sydney was extremely inappropriate, dangerous and a huge mistake. I no longer support violence in any form, what happened was a tragedy and I am deeply sorry for my utter lack of sound judgment. I deeply apologise to those I let down and I am truly sorry for the pain I caused.”
Gus was later dropped by his agent, Michael Greene of Greene Talent, as confirmed by rolling stone Earlier this week, Green said in an email when contacted by The New York Times: “We parted ways after what happened in Sydney.” rolling stone. “Thank you.”
Tenacious D were scheduled to play several more shows across Australia and New Zealand this month, and the band has also just announced five shows ahead of the 2024 election in partnership with Rock the Vote.
