American rock duo Tenacious D — which is made up of comedians Jack Black and Kyle Gass — have been embroiled in controversy following a joke they made about the assassination attempt made on former US President Donald Trump over the weekend. Now, it appears their tour Down Under and presence on Aussie radio could be in jeopardy.
On Tuesday, Frontier Touring announced the Newcastle show of Tenacious D’s Spicy Meatball Tour has been canned.
“Frontier Touring regret to advise that Tenacious D’s concert tonight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre has been postponed,” it wrote on Instagram, alongside the graphic used to promote the duo’s gigs.
But why would such a beloved band have their shows postponed?
Although there have been no specific reasons cited as to why the show has been nixed, the timing is interesting given the outrage the pair have caused over a joke they made about the assassination attempt made on Donald Trump.
What did Tenacious D say about Donald Trump?
Over the weekend, the entire world was rocked after Donald Trump was injured by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks who attempted to shoot him dead during his presidential campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The incident sent shockwaves across the globe, with some folks sharing their support for Trump or making memes out of the assassination attempt.
On Sunday, during Tenacious D’s concert in Sydney, Jack Black brought out a cake for Kyle Gass’ 64th birthday.
When the Kung Fu Panda actor asked his fellow rocker to “make a wish”, Gass replied: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
@noisepollutionyt KGs birthday wish “don’t miss #trump next time” #tenaciousd #sydney #birthday ♬ original sound – Noise Pollution
The reactions to Tenacious D’s “Don’t Miss Trump” joke
Footage of the joke soon spread like wildfire on the internet. Some folks found it funny, while others weren’t too pleased with Gass’ remarks.
One person in particular who was offended by the remark was shock jock Kyle Sandilands, who took to his brekky radio show to slam the metal duo.
“That’s some serious twisted shit,” Sandilands shared on his show.
“Anyone who wishes someone else dead legit is just a piece of shit.”
Sandilands went on to state he never wants to speak to Tenacious D ever again following their joke on Sunday night.
Alongside Kyle Sandilands’ wrath, Tenacious D were also slammed by Senator Ralph Babet, who shared a statement to X (formerly Twitter) demanding the duo be “deported immediately”.
“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,” the senator shared in the statement.
“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.”
There is no place in Australia for those who wish for the assassination of others. pic.twitter.com/wuvgQxeeDS
— Senator Babet (@senatorbabet) July 16, 2024
Why was the Tenacious D Australia Tour postponed?
As of writing, neither Frontier Touring nor Tenacious D have revealed why their Newcastle date was postponed.
In the Instagram post by the touring agency, ticket holders are asked to hold onto their tickets as more information becomes available.
Punters have rushed to the comments, demanding to know the reason behind why it was nixed, whilst others have assumed that it could’ve been because of Grass’ joke.
According to Ticketek, it appears that it’s only the Newcastle Show that has been postponed. The comedy duo still have gigs in Australia for Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Only time will tell if those shows will be cancelled too.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Frontier Touring and Ticketek for comment.
Image source: Getty Images / Randy Holmes
