US comedy rock outfit Green Jellÿ have fired longtime member Michael “Fr33to F33t” Snyder after he posted a meme about the late Ozzy Osbourne that the band has labelled “highly offensive”.
The controversial image, which was widely condemned online as reported by Loudwire, appeared just days after Osbourne’s death and appeared to mock his history with drug addiction.
The post in question depicted a photoshopped image of Osbourne holding a sign that read “one day sober”, clearly intended as a joke about the metal icon’s widely publicised struggles. It was shared via Green Jellÿ’s social media channels and quickly sparked backlash from fans and fellow musicians.
Band founder and front man Bill Manspeaker moved to distance the group from the meme almost immediately, claiming he deleted it as soon as he saw it and accused Snyder of being responsible for its creation and upload. “He posted an extremely rude video about Ozzy dying that I found highly offensive and I immediately took it down,” Manspeaker wrote in a now-deleted post. “The guy lost his mind and instantly started to demonise me on Facebook. Now it’s gotten beyond the point of nonstop harassment.”
Manspeaker went further in his explanation, accusing Snyder of barely participating in the band’s live performances. He alleged that Snyder had “maybe played 10 shows in 10 years” and claimed he did not even plug in his bass on stage. “He just wants the selfie of him on stage,” Manspeaker added, while also accusing Snyder of asking to sign band merchandise for online resale. “Everything was fine until the moment I take down his distasteful meme about Ozzy’s death.”
Snyder responded via Facebook, denying that the meme was the true reason for his dismissal. “I was forced out because I dared to question William Manspeaker,” he wrote, before adding that he was unapologetic about pushing the boundaries of punk expression. He also rejected accusations that he had accessed the band’s accounts without permission and insisted, “Dark humour is what we’ve done there for years. I would apologise to anyone who was seriously offended.”
Green Jellÿ, who rose to prominence in the early 1990s with their satirical track ‘Three Little Pigs’, have included a rotating cast of musicians over the years, including Tool front man Maynard James Keenan in their early days. Keenan, who performed at Osbourne’s final live appearance in Birmingham on 5 July, has not commented on the controversy.
The band are scheduled to begin a US headline tour on 10 September, joined by 96 Bitter Beings, The Convalescence, The Bunny The Bear and Ignominious.
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