An offensive meme about the late Ozzy Osbourne, posted to Green Jellÿ’s official social media on the day of his death, has ignited a public firestorm that has culminated in frontman Bill Manspeaker firing a longtime member and airing the band’s bitter internal drama in a detailed public statement.
The controversy began on July 22, the same day the world was mourning the passing of the Black Sabbath icon, when a photoshopped image of Osbourne holding a sign that read “One Day Sober” appeared on the comedy-rock band’s page. The post was immediately met with widespread backlash from fans who deemed it tasteless and disrespectful.
In a lengthy statement released this week, Manspeaker addressed the situation, placing the blame squarely on now-former member Micheal “Fr33to F33t” Snyder and announcing his termination from the group.
“I allowed a green jello member control of my green jello page… He’s been doing a excellent job posting funny memes for years,” Manspeaker wrote. “Recently he posted a extremely rude video about Ozzy Dying that I found highly offensive & I immediately took it down.”
According to Manspeaker, the removal of the post triggered a campaign of “non stop harassment” from Snyder. “The guy lost his mind & instantly started to demonize me on Facebook,” he claimed. The feud has since escalated, with reports of leaked text messages and further online sparring between the two.
In his statement, Manspeaker went on to question Snyder‘s contributions to the band over the past decade. “He’s maybe played 10 shows in 10 years and doesn’t even plug in his bass when on stage… he just wants the selfie of him on stage,” he alleged.
Manspeaker framed the conflict as a clear matter of respect for a fallen legend. “Ask yourself 1 thing who is the real issue… the guy who has no respect for a man’s death and mocked Ozzy or the guy who immediately took it down because it was disrespectful,” he wrote to fans. “Nobody should be treated this way because they took down a disgusting post about Ozzy.”
He concluded by officially announcing the firing of Snyder, whom he called “one of the extremely few that’s been officially fired from green jello.”
Despite the very public and acrimonious split, Green Jellÿ is still scheduled to headline the upcoming “Psycho Sideshow” tour.
