Frontman Jack Black has canceled what remains of Tenacious D’s sold-out Australian tour and put the future of the comedy band in doubt after his bandmate said he hoped that whoever tries to murder Donald Trump “next time” doesn’t “miss.”
About 24 hours after an assassin missed blowing the former president’s brains out by a centimeter or two, Tenacious D took to the stage in Sydney, Australia. During the Sunday performance, co-frontman Black and the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to guitarist Kyle Gass. Black then asked Gass to make a birthday wish. Gass put the microphone to his face and said, “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
Black, naturally, like all violent-loving Hollywoodists, is a major Joe Biden supporter.
The fallout from the Gass comments was swift and deserved…
On Monday, Australian federal senator Ralph Babet called for Tenacious D to be deported. “There is no place in Australia for those who wish for the assassination of others,” Babet wrote on Xwitter. He included a public statement that said in part:
Tenacious D should be immediately removed from the country after wishing for the assassination of Donald Trump at their Sydney concert.
I condemn in the strongest possible way the call to political violence by Tenacious D in Sydney on Sunday. To advocate and or wish for the assassination of a President is egregious, disgusting, filthy, evil, and not acceptable in any way, shape or form. This was not a joke, he was deadly serious when he wished for the death of the President.
…
Anything less than a deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump.
Quick digression: Even though we have the video, the despicable, far-left Deadline still used the word “alleged” to describe the “Don’t miss next time” comments.
Anyway, at first Tenacious D’s next performance was merely postponed.
“Frontier Touring regret to advise that Tenacious D’s concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre has been postponed,” reads a statement from the promoter. “Ticket holders are asked to hold onto their tickets until further information is available.”
But.
On Tuesday, Black released a social media statement announcing the cancellation of the entire tour and that the creative future of the band was on hold.
“I was blindsided by what was at the show Sunday,” wrote Black on Instagram. “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.”
Then came the bombshell:
“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. “
As a free speech extremist, it is easy to draw the line at…violence. Gass encouraged violence. Period. He might have couched it as a joke, but he’s making it cool, making it okay to wish a man dead—a husband, father, grandfather, and former president.
There’s a reason why it’s illegal to wish for the death of a U.S. president. It incites and provokes. Yes, comedians — and Tenacious D is a comedy act — deserve the widest berth, and I am on record defending countless left-wing comedians. But again, wishing violence on someone, especially a former president and the current front-runner to be our next president, crosses the free speech line.
Does that mean Tenacious D should be blacklisted, should be wished into the cornfield?
No.
Everyone deserves a second chance, including Black, who did the right thing here.
Nevertheless, wishing for murder is encouraging murder, and that’s an easy and moral and speech line to draw.
John Nolte’s first and last novel, Borrowed Time, is winning five-star raves from everyday readers. You can read an excerpt here and an in-depth review here. Also available in hardcover and on Kindle and Audiobook.
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