Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass Breaks Silence After Making Vile Comment About Trump

Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass expressed deep regret after joking about the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a concert in 2024.

He admitted to causing a “shitstorm” after making an ill-timed comment on stage soon after a bullet grazed Trump and left him bloodied.

On July 14, 2024, Tenacious D, the comedy rock group Gass co-founded with Jack Black, performed at the ICC Sydney Theatre. It also happened to be Gass’ birthday.

Gass said he had heard the news of the attempted assassination, but he admitted the reality of the situation didn’t sink in, according to an interview with Rolling Stone published Wednesday.

A cake was brought to the stage during the concert and when asked to make a wish, Gass said, “Don’t miss Trump next time!”

“It was a very low moment for me,” Gass admitted.

“I’ve felt terrible ever since,” he later added.

Gass got a few laughs that night, but his comment circulated quickly and gained traction online. He quickly realized the depth of his error. He told the publication that the outrage sparked concerns about his safety.

Gas was far removed from the assassination attempt and performing on a stage in Sydney, Australia.

“I didn’t feel like I was in touch with it. If I was over there, I think I would have gotten more the gravity of an assassination attempt,” he told the outlet.

“I’m on the other side of the world here. I’m in a different hemisphere, I’m in a different continent. And I’m naively forgetting about cameras and such,” he said.

“I just decided to quip about what happened. And it was terrible. It was terrible judgment, obviously. I’ve felt terrible ever since, because it’s such a responsibility to not screw up like that,” he said.

His remarks prompted responses from high-profile figures, including Elon Musk and Charlie Kirk. The band canceled its remaining tour dates, and Black issued a public comment distancing himself from Gass.

Gass issued an apology on Instagram, and he deleted it days later.

“I was naive, of course — people are gonna pick that up,” he said about his joke. “But I just felt it was kind of a private moment. I thought I was safe in the bubble. And it was so fast.”

Reflecting on the error, he told the outlet, “Five one-syllable words that brought down the empire.”

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA – JULY 13: Secret Service tend to republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump onstage at a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Gass noted the impact of that singular moment and the widespread backlash that followed.

“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 hard to take responsibility for it, but it was my f*ck-up. When you’re in it, it’s hard to even think straight. It’s just this thing flooding and coming at you,” he told Rolling Stone.

“I’m human, I made a mistake. I was going for a joke. But timing is everything. If there was ever a ‘too soon,’ it was this,” he said.

TOPSHOT – Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. Republican candidate Donald Trump was evacuated from the stage at today’s rally after what sounded like shots rang out at the event in Pennsylvania, according to AFP. The former US president was seen with blood on his right ear as he was surrounded by security agents, who hustled him off the stage as he pumped his first to the crowd. (Photo by REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images)

Gass claimed that his agent dropped him, and his tour with Black came to an abrupt halt, although he admitted he doesn’t blame his friend for making that decision.

He’s back on tour again with a different group, but Gass admitted he still carries the weight of that moment with him. (RELATED: ‘I Was Blindsided’: Jack Black Addresses Bandmate’s Trump Comment, Suspends Rock Tour)

HONOLULU, HI – OCTOBER 22: Musicians Kyle Gass (L) and Jack Black of Tenacious D perform onstage during “Spike’s Rock the Troops” event held at Joint Base Pearl Harbor – Hickam on October 22, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Spike’s Rock the Troops” will premiere on December 13 at 9 PM, ET/PT on Spike. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Spike)

“It’s overwhelming. It’s like a tsunami of shit rolling over you. And then there’s the regret. Like, ‘Why would I do that?’ I just didn’t put it together. And the ramifications were so huge,” he told the outlet.