Jack Black says Tenacious D will return after Trump joke controversy

Jack Black has said Tenacious D, his comedy rock duo with longtime friend Kyle Gass, will continue following controversy caused by a joke Gass made about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

“I love Tenacious D … We had to take a break, but I love the D. Everybody takes a break sometimes,” Black said at the Los Angeles premiere for his new action film Borderlands this week. “We’ll be back.”

Black had previously said “all future creative plans [for Tenacious D] are on hold” amid backlash to Gass’s joke.

Celebrating Gass’s birthday at a July concert in Sydney, Gass said: “Don’t miss Trump next time” when asked for a wish. It provoked mirth in the audience but condemnation was swift following the gig, with Australian senator Ralph Babet calling for the band to be removed from the country .

The band cancelled the remainder of their tour and Gass apologised for “severe lack of judgment … The line I improvised Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence in any kind, in any form, against anyone.” Black said he “blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form”.

There was also backlash against Black, who was seen by some to have turned his back on Gass, a friend and collaborator for over 30 years.

Speaking at the Borderlands premiere , Black said: “We’re friends. That hasn’t changed. These things take time sometimes … And we’ll be back when it feels right.”

Borderlands, a live-action adaptation of the video game of the same name directed by Eli Roth, features Black voicing a wisecracking robot called Claptrap alongside Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart.