Jack Black says he was “blindsided” by a joke about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump that was made on stage by his Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass, and has canceled their tour as a result.
On his Instagram, Black posted a statement reading, “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.”
The Super Mario Bros. Movie star added, “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.”
The band was playing in Australia on July 14, Gass’ 64th birthday, when, according to video of the moment, Black serenaded him and had a performer in a robot costume present him onstage with a birthday cake. When he asked Gass what his birthday wish was, Gass said, “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
Black exhaled sharply, and didn’t acknowledge the statement, instead addressing the robot to take the cake backstage and cut it.
Gass’ comment — made a day after Trump narrowly missed being slain by a would-be assassin’s bullet at an event in Butler, Pennsylvania — immediately went viral.
A last-minute turn of his head apparently saved the former president, and the bullet instead struck and injured his ear, but a rally attendee was killed in the shooting.
Gass posted an apology on Tuesday, writing, “The line I improvised on stage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate dangerous and a terrible mistake.”
“I don’t condone violence of any form, in any form against anyone,” he said. “What happened was a tragedy and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgment.”
Gass concluded, “I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”
Dan and Eugene Levy, the father and son who co-created and starred in the hit comedy series Schitt’s Creek, have been tapped to host this year’s Emmy Awards.
The show will air live on ABC from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 15 starting at 8 p.m. It streams the next day on Hulu.
It will be the first time a father-son duo has hosted the event.
In a statement, the Emmy-winning pair said, “For two Canadians who won our Emmys in a literal quarantine tent, the idea of being asked to host this year in an actual theater was incentive enough.”
They added, “We’re thrilled to be able to raise a glass to this extraordinary season of television and can’t wait to spend the evening with you all on Sept. 15.”
Eugene played Johnny Rose and Dan played his spoiled, sarcastic son David on Schitt’s Creek, which swept the telecast in 2020, winning nine trophies for itssixth and final season. During that socially distanced event, the cast — including fellow winner Catherine O’Hara — celebrated breaking an Emmy record for most wins for a comedy show in a single season.
Television Academy Chairperson Cris Abrego enthused about the pairing, “We are thrilled to welcome two generations of comedy genius to the Emmy’s stage as hosts. Eugene and Dan Levy are known for creating unforgettable laugh-out-loud moments on screen, and together, they are super-charged. I cannot wait for Emmy fans to see what they have in store for all of us.”
Of the many things Natalie Portman has done in her career, starring in a TV series hasn’t been one of them, until now. She stars opposite Moses Ingram in the new Apple TV+ drama Lady in the Lake, premiering Friday. The show follows the very different lives of two women, one Black, one Jewish, in Baltimore in the 1960s — two very different lives that share some striking similarities.
Portman tells ABC Audio that when this role came about she had been in the process of researching her family tree, leading to a discovery that gave her a special connection to the role.
“I discovered … the immigration papers of my family when they moved from Eastern Europe to Baltimore and the addresses where they lived in census data,” she shares. “And walking into the Jewish deli that still exists after 100 years thinking, like, my great grandmother probably came here and bought her meat.”
Ingram is actually a Baltimore native, and noted show creator and director Alma Har’el “would have people from the community come and set up chairs and watch. And so we were all there together, you know. It was really beautiful.”
Har’el says telling Jewish stories is very important right now: “I think as a Jewish person you are a living contradiction … in some ways, you are a person who can easily be shunned, persecuted, seen in the wrong light, stereotyped. And at the same time, you can also be an oppressor … somebody who is tone-deaf to your assimilation into white America or privilege or however you want to call it. So there’s a lot of duality in that existence. And I think that’s very relevant to our time.”
