Kyle Gass Understands Why Jack Black Distanced Himself After Trump Assassination Joke: ‘We Hashed It Out’
Kyle Gass shared that he didn’t “begrudge” Tenacious D bandmate Jack Black for distancing himself amid backlash over his Trump assassination joke.
The comedic musician opened up about the controversy and how it impacted his longtime friendship with Black in a new interview with Rolling Stone, in which he expressed regret for joking about the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
While Gass called the entire situation “a very low moment” for him, he did not blame Black for publicly distancing himself from the controversy shortly after it occurred.
“We’re separate people, always, and we’re on different career paths,” Gass told the outlet. “I totally understood what he needed to protect. I didn’t begrudge him any of that.”
In July 2024, Gass faced international criticism after, during a show in Sydney, he was presented with a birthday cake and wished aloud: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
A couple days later, Gass apologized for making the remark, noting that it was “highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake.” Black released his own statement, sharing he was “blindsided” by Gass’ comment and that he “would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.”
Black added at the time: “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold.”
Though many felt Black threw his longtime creative partner under the bus, Gass said he didn’t see it that way, sharing that he “wouldn’t wish” this kind of controversy on anybody.
“It’s one of those things, once it was picked up, it just got worse and worse. It was a Defcon 2 for sure in the camp,” Gass recalled. “We had to take the break. And I got it. Jack has this magnificent career; I can’t even count the franchises now. So as hard as it was, I just had to take the long ride home.”
However, Gass did share that Black did not give him a heads up about the statement. Still, Gass assured that he and Black “are all good” in the years following the scandal.
“At the end of the day, we’re friends,” he said. “I’ve known Jack since he was 18, and it’s been such a long marriage, really. You go up and down, and we’ve always taken long breaks. He’s had a lot of stuff to do, and I’ve got my other projects. So it doesn’t even feel that different now.”
He added later on: “We hashed it out. And it was hard. It is like a marriage. You go through these ups and downs, and try to understand your partner.”
Gass even appeared certain that Tenacious D would reunite again in the future, adding, “We will serve no D-wine before it’s D-time — but we will be back. We will return.”
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