Tenacious D guitarist Kyle Gass is addressing the controversial joke he made about Donald Trump following the attempted assassination, and where he stands with bandmate Jack Black.
In a new interview, the musician and actor recalled the incident, which happened in 2024, and remained hopeful that he would reunite with Black on-stage.
“It’s like a marriage,” Gass said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “You go through these ups and downs, and try to understand your partner.”
He continued, “We will serve no D-wine before it’s D-time — but we will be back. We will return.”
Gass made a comment about Trump following the shooting incident back in July 2024 while Tenacious D was touring in Sydney. The guitarist said, “Don’t miss Trump next time,” and the backlash was swift, with the band canceling the rest of the tour.
Black would subsequently release a statement saying he was “blindsided” by the comment, saying in a statement, “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.”
Following the fallout, Gass says that he “hashed it out” with Black, but after making the quip, he says, “it was terrible judgment,” adding, “I’ve felt terrible ever since, because it’s such a responsibility to not screw up like that.”
“I wouldn’t wish it 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. And I did it,” Gass continued. “It was hard to take responsibility for it, but it was my fuck-up. When you’re in it, it’s hard to even think straight. It’s just this thing flooding and coming at you. 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.”
