Jack Black cancelling the ongoing Tenacious D Tour and throwing his bandmate Kyle Gass under the bus for a controversial political joke did not sit well with fans.
During a show in Sydney on Sunday, July 14, Gass sparked controversy by joking, “Don’t miss Trump next time,” after Black brought out a birthday cake and asked him to make a wish.
His remark came just hours after an assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Milwaukee, Pennsylvania, which left the former President with a pierced ear and resulted in the death of a spectator.
Black responded to the incident by announcing on Tuesday that he was blindsided by Gass’s comment and would be canceling the tour, reprimanding Gass and emphasising, “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.”
However, fans were confused by the comedian-slash-musician’s reaction, with many taking to social media via to express their disappointment and anger at Black’s decision.
“Jack Black turning on Kyle Gass is legitimately upsetting to me,” one X user wrote via Daily Mail as another chimed in: “I’m upset at Jack Black for turning his back on a 30-year-long partnership for the sake of keeping celebrity status.”
A third noted, “Not Jack Black throwing Kyle Gass under the bus for making a joke about Trump. What an absolute coward.”
Some fans even theorised that there is more to the story, suggesting that this incident was merely an excuse to mask deeper ongoing issues within the comedy band.