Jack Black has said Tenacious D, his comedy rock duo with longtime friend Kyle Gass, will continue following controversy caused by a joke Gass made about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
“I love Tenacious D … We had to take a break, but I love the D. Everybody takes a break sometimes,” Black said at the Los Angeles premiere for his new action film Borderlands this week. “We’ll be back.”
Black had previously said “all future creative plans [for Tenacious D] are on hold” amid backlash to Gass’s joke.
Celebrating Gass’s birthday at a July concert in Sydney, Gass said: “Don’t miss Trump next time” when asked for a wish. It provoked mirth in the audience but condemnation was swift following the gig, with Australian senator Ralph Babet calling for the band to be removed from the country.
The band cancelled the remainder of their tour and Gass apologised for “severe lack of judgment … The line I improvised Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence in any kind, in any form, against anyone.” Black said he “blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form”.
There was also backlash against Black, who was seen by some to have turned his back on Gass, a friend and collaborator for over 30 years.
Speaking at the Borderlands premiere, Black said: “We’re friends. That hasn’t changed. These things take time sometimes … And we’ll be back when it feels right.”
Borderlands, a live-action adaptation of the video game of the same name directed by Eli Roth, features Black voicing a wisecracking robot called Claptrap alongside Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart.
