Former Australian Prime Minister and current U.S. Ambassador Kevin Rudd has delivered a scathing rebuke to comedy rock duo Tenacious D following Kyle Gass’s controversial joke about the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Rudd didn’t mince words, telling news.com.au at The Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, WI., “It makes me feel sick someone would joke about violence. Physically ill. People might think it’s a bit of ‘funny haha’ at a concert to run off at the mouth off about this stuff.”
“It’s not,” he said. “It’s about threats to physical life; it’s about the near assassination of a former and prospective President of the United States, depending on the votes of the American people. It’s about the murder of innocent civilians and two people being seriously wounded.”
Rudd added, “These people need to grow up and find a decent job”.
The controversy began during Tenacious D’s Sydney show on July 14 when Gass, presented with a birthday cake for his 64th celebration, said “Don’t miss Trump next time” after bandmate Jack Black asked him to make a wish.
The remark came just one day after an actual assassination attempt on the former president at a Butler, Pa. rally, which resulted in one death and two serious injuries.
The fallout was swift and severe. Bandmate Jack Black, claiming to be “blindsided” by the comment, announced the cancellation of the remainder of their Australian tour and put all future creative plans on hold.
“I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding,” Black said in a post on July 16.
“I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” he continued. “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold.
Gass himself issued an apology, calling his improvised line “highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake.”
However, the damage was already done. On Tuesday, United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet called on the federal government to deport Tenacious D in the wake of Gass’s comment.
“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 said in a statement.
Amid the drama, Gass’s agent, Michael Greene of Greene Talent, also confirmed that he no longer represents the musician/comedian.
Frontier Touring has canceled six shows in Australia and New Zealand, including stops in Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Wellington, and Auckland. The status of Tenacious D’s five scheduled U.S. shows in October remains uncertain.
Tenacious D, formed by Black and Gass in 1994, has enjoyed notable success on the Billboard charts over the years. In 2015, the duo also won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for their cover of Dio’s “The Last in Line”.
Their self-titled debut album, released in 2001, peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 43 weeks. The band’s follow-up album, The Pick of Destiny (2006), reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and stayed for 13 weeks.
In 2012, Rize of the Fenix debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, marking their highest chart position to date and remained on the chart for 10 weeks. Their 2018 album Post-Apocalypto peaked at No. 93 and stayed on the chart for one week.
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