'What Have I Done?' Kyle Gass Talks Future of Tenacious D After 2024 Disaster Australian Show

After blurting out an impulsive line in Sydney, Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass says he’s spent the last year-and-a-half asking himself one question: “What have I done?”

In a frank new interview with Rolling Stone, the guitarist reflects on the fallout from a controversial on-stage joke that derailed the band’s 2024 Australian tour and put the future of the comedy-rock duo in jeopardy.

On July 14th, 2024, during a concert at Sydney’s ICC Theatre, Gass - who was celebrating his 64th birthday - quipped, “Don’t miss Trump next time” when Jack Black invited him to make a wish after blowing out candles. At the time it drew laughter from the crowd, but within hours, the comment - referencing an attempted assassination of Donald Trump - had ignited international outrage.

Gass said he realised an apology - one he later deleted - was needed the very next day. "Like, OK, people are really disturbed and hurt by this, I have to apologise," he told Rolling Stone. "It was hard to think straight, but I had some time to craft it. I did it myself. I ran it by the manager, and it seemed like I got what I wanted to say. And then that became a story."

He described it the situation as "overwhelming", adding that being in the middle of it was "like a tsunami of shit rolling over you".

"And then there’s the regret," he continued. "Like, 'Why would I do that?' I just didn’t put it together. And the ramifications were so huge."

Indeed they were. The backlash led to the cancellation of the remainder of the Australian tour and other planned dates, and even saw Gass dropped by his agent. Black also publicly distanced himself, saying he was “blindsided” and that he would “never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form”, ultimately pausing all future creative plans for the band.

But looking ahead, Gass insists Tenacious D isn’t finished, adding that he and Black are "all good".

"At the end of the day, we’re friends. I’ve known Jack since he was 18, and it’s been such a long marriage, really," he said. "You go up and down, and we’ve always taken long breaks. He’s had a lot of stuff to do, and I’ve got my other projects. So it doesn’t even feel that different now."

He also stressed that his deleted apology wasn’t a retraction: “If I would have recanted, I would have said that.”