Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass has deleted an Instagram apology following heavy backlash over comments he made about Donald Trump onstage in Sydney. The musician initially wrote that he regretted saying “next time, don’t miss Trump” following the assassination attempt on the Republican candidate, admitting that he was “deeply sorry for my lack of judgment.”
The apology, posted to Instagram earlier this week, has since been deleted. Gass’ account currently has two recent posts, one looking back at his early acting role in the film Mannequin, and another about the Sydney incident. The latter is an aerial video of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, captioned “Birthday helicopter ride around Sydney Harbour a few hours before the storm 😉.” It is unclear why Gass removed the apology.
The fallout has been huge for Gass and Tenacious D since their concert at the ICC Sydney Theatre on Sunday night. The band has cancelled all remaining dates on their Spicy Meatballs tour, as well as all future creative engagements involving the comedy duo. Black, who presented Gass with a birthday cake onstage when Gass made his controversial Trump wish, also said he was surprised.
“I was surprised by what was said at Sunday’s show. I do not condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black wrote on Instagram on Tuesday morning. “After much consideration, I do not feel it is appropriate for Tenacious D to continue to tour and all future creative plans have been put on hold. I thank my fans for their support and understanding.”
Gass apologized in a separate statement (which has now been deleted). “The lines I improvised on stage in Sydney on Sunday night were extremely inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake, and I will not tolerate violence of any kind or form in the future,” Gass wrote. “What happened was tragic and I deeply regret my lack of judgment. I am deeply sorry to those I let down and truly regret any pain I have caused.”
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Gass has since been released by his agent, Michael Green (Green Talent), Rolling Stone confirmed earlier this week. “Following the events that took place in Sydney, we have parted ways,” Green told Rolling Stone in an email. “Thank you.”
Tenacious D has several more shows lined up in Australia and New Zealand this month, and have just announced a partnership with Rock the Vote for five shows ahead of the 2024 election.