Modest Mouse guitarist Simon O'Connor has been removed from the band's upcoming tour following allegations that he sent inappropriate messages to an underage fan. The guitarist was dismissed from the tour after an anonymous individual posted screenshots of alleged direct messages on Reddit.
According to the Reddit post, the messages were sent to the fan days before her 17th birthday, after she had liked some of O'Connor's posts on Instagram. The initial message allegedly contained a picture of people playing the game Simon Says, with the caption, "SIMON calls your bluff BUZZ."
When the fan responded with an emoji, O'Connor allegedly sent a photograph of a naked man. He later apologized, stating he had been out partying and was looking at everything with "one eye." He also claimed the fan had "blindsided" him with "a gaggle of likes" and mentioned her bikini photos. The fan reportedly believed O'Connor had been hacked, but he denied this.
In a separate Reddit post, O'Connor addressed the allegations, stating, "I would just like to state that I unequivocally oppose any sexual behavior towards minors, as a human and a parent it disgusts me." He claimed that someone had been "messing" with him by creating and deleting multiple social media accounts. O'Connor stated that after a long night, he saw a profile interacting with his Instagram posts and stories, which he believed to be the same person he had dealt with previously.
He explained that with poor judgment, he sent a "tasteless meme" and a sticker, attempting to indicate he recognized the activity from previous profiles. O'Connor said he realized the person he was messaging was not who he had dealt with before, and he subsequently unsent the messages and ceased communication. He apologized to the person who received the messages for putting them in that position.
Modest Mouse announced on Friday that O'Connor would not be participating in their forthcoming tour. The band stated on Instagram that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav would be filling in on guitar. The band's tour is scheduled to begin on August 4 and conclude on October 23.