On July 15, 2024, the internet was abuzz with claims that on stage, during a concert, Jack Black's bandmate wished for someone not to "miss [former U.S. President Donald] Trump next time." This claim, with a video, was reshared widely, including by a parody account of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia (archived):
The rumor spread quickly on X and TikTok, garnering hundreds of thousands of views as of this writing. There was confusion among some users as to who had said it, Black or his bandmate.
The claim is true. Watching the video, we identified the bandmate as actor, comedian and musician Kyle Gass. Black and Gass co-founded the band Tenacious D in 1994, and they won a Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" in 2014.
A quick internet search revealed that Gass' birthday falls on July 14, the day after the attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. That night, Tenacious D were on stage at the ICC Sydney in Sydney, Australia, and Black led the audience into a raucous rendition of "Happy Birthday to You" as someone in a robot costume brought Gass a cake with lit candle. Black urged Gass to make a wish as soon as he concluded the song.
Gass replied, clearly enough for everyone to hear: "Don't miss Trump next time" and blew the candles. The line caused the audience to break into laughter and clap.
The video caused an uproar among supporters of Trump, especially in light of the fact that Black and Gass are long-standing supporters of the Democratic Party. In 2020, the duo toured in swing states ahead of the 2020 elections, in which Joe Biden ran against then-incumbent Trump, in what they called "The Purple Nurple Tour — Twisting Hard To The Left!" In June 2024, Black gave a speech at a fundraiser for Biden. The speech later spread on the internet over the following two days:
Because of the time difference between Pennsylvania and the eastern Australian city of Sydney (14 hours during the North Hemisphere summer), the quip came mere hours after the shooting and the Australian public was split over the joke, according to Yahoo Australia.
On July 16, 2024, Black posted a response on his Instagram account, saying he was "blindsided by what was said at the show" and that he no longer feels "it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour."
The post read:
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.
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.