On Sunday during a performance in Sydney, Australia, Kyle Gass—one half of Tenacious D—made a dark joke about political assassination while blowing out the candles on his birthday cake on stage. Jack Black was helping to celebrate his friend’s 64th birthday while they were on their Spicy Meatball Tour. Now, the remainder of the tour has been canceled, and an Australian senator is calling on the Prime Minister to deport the band from the country.
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Jack Black made a statement following the incident, which came mere hours after former president Donald Trump was wounded at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” Black wrote on Instagram today, July 16. “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.”
Specifically, when Kyle Gass was told to make a wish while blowing out his birthday candles, he said, “Don’t miss Trump next time.” Maybe he meant it as a joke, but gallows humor can sometimes have a tendency to be in poor taste. Either way, the tour is canceled, as well as the upcoming show in New South Wales. Fans were told to keep their tickets, but no other information was given.
Australian Senator Calls for Tenacious D to be Deported After Off-Color Joke by Kyle Gass
Now, Ralph Babet, United Australia Party senator, is calling for the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister to deport Jack Black and Kyle Gass, effectively kicking them out of the country. The United Australia Party is a right-leaning conservative party that has been deregistered and resurrected many times since 2013.
“To advocate and or wish for the [harm] of a president is egregious, disgusting, filthy, evil, and not acceptable in any way, shape, or form,” Babet said in a statement posted on Twitter/X. He continued, “I call on the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese to join me in denouncing Tenacious D, Jack Black and band member Kyle Gass, and I call on the Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to revoke their visas and deport them immediately.”
Babet claims that Gass was “deadly serious” and that it was “not a joke,” barring the fact that Donald Trump is not the current president of the United States. He also called Trump “the 45th and soon-to-be 47th President of the United States.” Babet also declared the “weakness of our current Prime Minister” in his statement, so it seems that no one is safe.
Featured Image by John D Shearer/Shutterstock
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