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Jack Black cancels Tenacious D tour as Australia officials criticize Kyle Gass’ Trump comment
Actor Jack Black has canceled upcoming tour dates for Tenacious D after his bandmate, Kyle Gass, made a controversial comment about Donald Trump during a show in Australia — a comment that led one politician to call for the deportation of the comedy rock duo.
In a statement shared on social media, Black said he was blindsided by Gass’ comment about the shooting at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on Saturday. Trump survived the attack with a wound to his ear, but the assassination attempt killed one person being killed and critically injured two others.
Gass made the controversial comment when he was presented with a birthday cake during their Sydney concert and was asked what his birthday wish was. “Don’t miss Trump next time,” he replies, according to videos from fans in the audience.
Black laughed at the joke on stage but later said he was blindsided by the comment. “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black said in a statement Tuesday.
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“After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold,” he said. “I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”
Gass also apologized for the remark. “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake,” he said Monday in a statement on social media. “I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgment. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”
Gass’ agent parted ways with him after the comment, according to BBC News.
An Australian senator called for the deportation of Gass on Monday. “Tenacious D should be immediately removed from the country after wishing for the assassination of Donald Trump at their Sydney concert,” Sen. Ralph Babet said in a statement.
Babet condemned the call for political violence, saying what Gass said was not a joke. “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,” Babet said.
“Anything less than deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump, the 45th and soon-to-be 47th President of the United States,” said Babet, the only senator from the right-wing United Australia Party..
During the popular Australian radio show “Kyle and Jackie O,” host Kyle Sandilands said Tenacious D was now banned from the show, according to local news outlets.
After the shooting, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that he was shocked by the event and relieved that Trump is safe.
“Let us be clear. The people at that event – the candidate, the crowd, the free press covering it – were participating in the democratic process. In Australia, as in the United States, the essence and the purpose of our democracies is that we can express our views, debate our disagreements and resolve our differences peacefully,” said Albanese, a member of the center-left Australian Labor Party, adding that any act of violence is an affront to democracy that should be condemned.
Other comedians have previously been criticized for appearing to encourage violence against Trump. In 2017, Kathy Griffin released an image of a fake Trump head, severed from his body and dripping in blood.
Griffin apologized for the video, which nearly cost the comedian her career, with her tour canceled, CNN ending her job as New Year’s Eve host alongside Anderson Cooper, being investigated and being added to a no-fly list.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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