An apology is a good start, but it might portend a bad finish ... for Democrats.
Over the weekend, Jack Black and Kyle Gass drew a deluge of condemnation over Gass' quip on stage. Just hours after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, their Tenacious D act took the stage in Sydney, Australia. The show included a birthday celebration for Gass, during which he wished, "Don't miss Trump next time."
After Australian politicians began demanding their deportation, Black announced that the entire world tour would be canceled, and that his partnership with Gass would be suspended indefinitely. But that has some consequences down the line here in the US:
ALL REMAINING DATES on Tenacious D‘s Spicy Meatball Tour, as well as all future creative endeavors involving the comedy duo, have been canceled. This decision — announced via social media by Jack Black — comes following a recent performance in Sydney, Australia, during which Kyle Gass made a birthday wish on stage: “Don’t miss Trump next time,” referring to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Attendees in the room responded with laughter, but a few right-wing politicians in Australia have responded with calls for deportation, and Black himself has noted that he was taken aback by Gass’ remark. “I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black wrote on Instagram Tuesday morning. “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.”
Gass himself also apologized in a separate statement on Instagram:
At least neither of them went the Forrest Gump route: "It's just the war and that lying son-of-a-bitch Johnson!" These are abject apologies, ownership of offenses made, and in Black's case, substantial atonement by ending a profitable business enterprise. Of course, Black did that in part to protect his much more lucrative business enterprises in Hollywood, but still, he could have just bluffed his way through it and hoped Hollywood wouldn't care about offending its consumers. (That seems to be their business plan, after all.)
Instead, he owned up quickly and paid a price for their offensive display. That says something about Black's character, and it should be acknowledged. Otherwise, a belief in forgiveness and redemption is impossible.
That doesn't mean that the consequences magically vanish, however. Presumably, the tour cancellation has mooted the efforts of Australian officials to deport Black and Gass. Black intended to come back anyway to wrap up the tour in the US, but that had a dual purpose, Rolling Stone notes:
The comedy duo was meant to be on the road in Australia and New Zealand through July 26. They also recently announced a five-show run leading up to the U.S. presidential election in partnership with Rock the Vote.
Rock the Vote is the Hollywood-progressive project to register Democrat voters and get them to the polls during the election. ABC News also notes that Black has campaigned for Biden, particularly in fundraising, and presumably planned to do so again:
Black is a big supporter of President Joe Biden and has taken part in fundraisers for the current president.
Black is a Hollywood A-lister, so his absence from these efforts will not be inconsequential. He could still take part in them, but that would leave the Biden campaign and Rock the Vote in an awkward position of having to excuse Black and Gass for their rhetoric while complaining about everyone else's, too. Hypocrisy isn't exactly an unknown in politics these days, but overlooking the endorsement of assassination may be a bridge too far, especially after Biden's querulous national scolding on Sunday evening from the Oval Office.
If nothing else, this keeps the Left on the back foot and the focus on their meltdowns. And that's not going to bode well for Biden if it keeps up.
Aso, the latest episode of The Ed Morrissey Show podcast is now up! Today's show features:
- It had been a momentous 48 hours in politics, and a close brush with a potentially destabilizing assassination.
- Andrew Malcolm and I discuss the events in Butler County and Donald Trump's instincts to get up and fight.
- Did that inform his choice of running mate? We also talk about JD Vance, and preview the GOP convention.
The Ed Morrissey Show is now a fully downloadable and streamable show at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the TEMS Podcast YouTube channel, and on Rumble and our own in-house portal at the #TEMS page!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member