Jack Black Upends The Cancel Culture Blueprint

You never forget your first cancellation.

Jack Black, comic actor and part-time rock star, is getting a crash course in Cancel Culture after a regrettable gig Down Under.

Except his band Tenacious D’s cancellation didn’t follow the punitive blueprint. Plus, he and bandmate Kyle Gass said something worthy of recrimination, even for the most unwoke among us.

Not all cancellations are created equal.

The trouble started a day after the July 13 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pa. Tenacious D interrupted its concert in Sydney, Australia to celebrate Gass’ birthday. The “Elf” alum was turning 64, and longtime music partner Black presented him with a cake on stage.

Black asked Gass to make a wish before blowing out the candles. Gass did as told and shared it with the adoring Tenacious D fans in attendance.

“Don’t miss Trump next time,” Gass said. Black took a beat and said, “Thank you.”

And the show went on.

Jack Black went on stage with his band over the weekend and his bandmate said "don't miss Trump next time" to laughs from the audience.

A month ago, he was a featured speaker at Biden's fundraiser in Los Angeles.

"We must come together" indeed. pic.twitter.com/HGlNTlzure

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 15, 2024

Except somebody recorded the moment and shared it on social media. In that way, this cancellation began precisely as many others have before it. As expected, condemnation was swift and digital.

Black’s reputation as a Democratic stooge didn’t help. He previously promoted President Barack Obama’s Iranian deal and appeared mere weeks ago at a President Joe Biden fundraiser, pretending as if Biden wasn’t compromised by age and a yet-unknown ailment.

Those partisan ties made the moment look even worse.

Local politicians joined the fray, condemning their concert comments. One, Australian Senator Ralph Babet, demanded Gass and Black be deported for their words.

Black, to his credit, apologized in swift fashion, and it didn’t sound like his PR team penned it.

“I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black shared on his Instagram feed.

What happened next proved how different this Cancel Culture event would be.

“After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold.”

Jeff Hahne/Getty Images

Black didn’t wait for press outrage to reach critical mass. Nor did he let the incident die down to see how much professional blowback he might receive.

He canceled himself.

More importantly, he embraced consequences for his actions. Suspending the Tenacious D tour likely cost him plenty, not just with fan loyalty but dollars and cents.

The news cycle moves fast these days. He could have laid low and hoped another news event took people’s attention away from the comments.

Heck, fellow actors Mark Hamill and John Leguizamo are doing their best to make us forget all about Tenacious D via Twitter. Hamill is mocking President Trump’s ear bandages while Leguizamo falsely claimed Trump wasn’t injured in the attack. Chances are we’ll hear more unhinged Hollywood comments that will make Gass’ quip seem tame in comparison.

Black also vowed to shut down indefinitely on the creative front. While he may not be as in-demand as he once was, last year’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was a blockbuster and this year’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” proves he’s still a viable commodity in Hollywood.

Black did something else few could have expected. He threw Gass, who also apologized via Instagram, under the tour bus. He said Gass “blindsided” him with the comment. The duo have worked together for two decades under the Tenacious D banner.

That couldn’t have been an easy decision to make.

Accountability is in short supply in western culture of late. Just ask Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has yet to resign for overseeing the worst possible breach in her line of work via the July 13 shooting.

Black, to his credit, held himself accountable.

What didn’t happen in this Cancel Culture-style moment? Conservatives didn’t demand their censorship en masse or reach out to the tour’s sponsors to suspend their ties to the duo. The band’s Hollywood peers neither defended nor attacked them for their comments.

They may not have faced any repercussions back in La La Land. Wishing death on Trump is considered normal behavior in celebrity circles. Just ask Charlie Sheen, Madonna, Johnny Depp, Snoop Dogg and other stars who have shared variations of that sick theme.

Black and Gass may have enhanced their careers with their Sydney shtick, as warped as that sounds.

Kathy Griffin’s infamous snapshot holding Trump’s bloody head showed there are still cultural limits when it comes to GOP-based rage. While the aforementioned stars suffered no professional blowback for their assassination fetish, Griffin’s career cratered following her image’s release.

The final difference between “TenaciousD-Gate” and your garden variety cancellation is clear. Author J.K. Rowling endured a brutal cancellation for thoughts many sane souls share regarding trans issues.

Shane Gillis watched his “Saturday Night Live” dreams disappear when old, crude jokes resurfaced.

Gina Carano’s Disney career died because she refused to self-censor her common sense views.

They didn’t deserve their cancellations. We can still have different opinions.

Black and Gass cheered on the assassination of a U.S. president. There’s no nuance there. It’s just wrong. Any sane soul understands wishing death on a president is beyond the pale.

Even in our increasingly coarse culture many realize just that.

Every few years a Hollywood star learns that sharing the ugliest views possible about their political opponents has real-world consequences.

That may explain why Black and Gass canceled themselves before someone beat them to it.

* * *

Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at @HollywoodInToto.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.