Tenacious D cop lifetime radio ban over ‘sick’ joke at Sydney show

A “twisted” moment at Tenacious D’s Sydney show has seen the rock duo cop a lifetime radio ban from a furious Kyle Sandilands.

US comedy-rock duo Tenacious D have courted controversy during their current Australian tour, announcing a simple wish onstage in Sydney: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”

The comment has even sparked outrage from a usually unshockable Kyle Sandilands, who’s declared that Tenacious D, who’ve appeared on the Kyle and Jackie O show in the past, are now banned from the show for life over the “twisted” joke.

The moment came during the band’s show at Sydney’s ICC Theatre on Sunday night, which also happened to be band member Kyle Gass’ 64th birthday.

Singer and actor Jack Black paused the show to mark the occasion, as Gass was asked to make a wish as he blew out candles on a cake.

“Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass announced, referring to that morning’s failed assassination attempt on the former US President and current Republican Party nominee for the Presidency.

The 9,000-strong crowd could be heard erupting in laughter and cheers.

Donald Trump was injured in the shooting at a campaign rally, with gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks killing one spectator and critically injuring two others before secret service snipers killed him.

Gass’ controversial onstage quip was captured by at least one concertgoer, who shared the moment on TikTok where it has been met with a decidedly mixed response.

“As a Tenacious D fan, no. Just no,” one person wrote.

Tenacious D on stage in Sydney.

The duo had a huge Aussie hit in 2002 with the single Tribute.

“Hmm … the left condoning gun violence. Hypocrisy at its finest. Keep showing us your colours,” read one comment.

“Imagine if it was Joe Biden on the receiving end. People would be losing their minds. Double standard,” wrote another.

Others called the comment “disgusting,” with one commenter even calling for a “boycott” of the band.

“Sick joke!! Awful,” wrote one woman.

The group had a few defenders, though: “My respect for Tenacious D,” reads the top comment under the post. “Aaand I like them even more,” is another top-rated comment.

And as the clip spread, a furious Kyle Sandilands called the duo out on-air this morning on the Kyle and Jackie O show.

Sandilands said he was horrified by the joke.

He declared the duo, who most recently appeared on the show in February to discuss their tour, were now “banned for life”. Co-host Jackie O first teased the news to him without revealing the celebrity responsible for the comment.

“Someone’s promoting the assassination of another human being? Seriously, regardless of whether you like someone or not, wanting someone killed and promoting it is the worst thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” Sandilands said.

“That’s some serious, twisted s**t. And whoever that is, is banned for life. I never want to speak to him again. Would we speak to this person?”

Sandilands said he was shocked to learn the joke had come from Tenacious D’s Gass.

“That’s really surprising. See, those two seem like normal people, not unhinged lunatics,” he said of the musical duo.

“A note to our talent bookers. I will not be participating in any future Tenacious D interviews. Someone wishing someone dead, that nearly got assassinated. All jokes aside, that’s too much for me,” he continued.

Tenacious D’s Australian tour continues in Newcastle tonight before dates in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. News.com.au has today approached the tour promoter for comment.

Gass’ comments come as US President Joe Biden yesterday denounced the assassination attempt on his political rival and insisted that violence has no place in American politics.

Trump survived the shooting by mere millimetres, the bullet grazing his right ear. Picture: Rebecca Droke / AFP

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence ever, period, no exceptions. We cannot allow this violence to be normalised. The political rhetoric in this country has got very heated. It is time to cool it down.”

He said disagreement was part of democracy and human nature, but politics “must never be a literal battlefield and God forbid, a killing field”.

Tenacious D haven’t been the only big musical act to reference the assassination attempt onstage since Sunday: Rapper 50 Cent performed a concert in Boston after the shooting where he showed Donald Trump’s face photoshopped onto his Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album cover.

It came as he performed the song Many Men, – sample lyric, “Many men wish death upon me / blood in my eye, dawg, and I can’t see” – about his own past brushes with death due to gun violence.

Originally published as Tenacious D cop lifetime radio ban over ‘sick’ joke at Sydney show