Tenacious D star Kyle Gass 'felt terrible' after backlash over Donald Trump shooting joke
Tenacious D guitarist Kyle Gass has opened up on the fallout to his on-stage joke about an assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Kyle Gass has "felt terrible ever since" his controversial joke about Donald Trump's attempted assassination.
Back in July 2024, the Tenacious D guitarist sparked backlash after saying "don't miss Trump next time" in the aftermath of a shooter targeting the President of the United States.
His bandmate and friend Jack Black said in a statement at the time: "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.”
Now, the Tribute musician has confirmed the pair have "hashed it out", but he described his joke as a "terrible judgement".
He told Rolling Stone magazine: "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. It was hard to take responsibility for it, but it was my f***-up."
Kyle - who has appeared in movies like Elf over his own career - insisted he understands why Jack needed to step away.
Reflecting on the fallout, he added: "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.”
Now, Kyle is hopeful he'll get to reunite with Jack on stage in the future.
He said: "It’s like a marriage. You go through these ups and downs, and try to understand your partner...
“We will serve no D-wine before it’s D-time — but we will be back. We will return.”
