Tenacious D‘s Kyle Gass has deleted his Instagram apology post following intense backlash over comments he made about Donald Trump onstage in Sydney. The musician initially wrote that he regretted saying “Don’t miss Trump next time” in response to the attempted assassination of the Republican nominee, confirming, “I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement.”
The apology, posted to Instagram earlier this week, has since been removed. There are now two recent posts on Gass’ account, one a throwback to an early acting gig in the movie Mannequin and one in reference to the Sydney incident. The latter is a video of Sydney Harbour Bridge from the air with the caption, “Birthday helicopter ride around Sydney Harbour, hours before the storm 😉.” It’s unclear why Gass deleted the apology.
Since Sunday night’s concert at Sydney’s ICC Sydney Theatre there has been significant fallout for Gass and Tenacious D. The band has canceled all remaining dates on their Spicy Meatball Tour, as well as all future creative endeavors involving the comedy duo. Black, who presented Gass with a birthday cake onstage when his bandmate made the problematic wish about Trump, said he was also taken aback.
“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,” Black wrote on Instagram on Tuesday morning. “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.”
In a separate statement, Gass issued his own (now deleted) apology. “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anymore,” he wrote. “What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret and pain I’ve caused.”
Gass was subsequently dropped by his agent, Michael Greene of Greene Talent, as confirmed by Rolling Stone earlier this week. “We have parted ways after what happened in Sydney,” Greene said in an email when contacted by Rolling Stone. “Thank you.”
Tenacious D had several more shows scheduled throughout Australia and New Zealand this month. They had also just announced a five-show run ahead of the 2024 election in partnership with Rock the Vote.