The musician issued a public apology on Reddit, claiming he mistook the account for a recurring harasser.
Guitarist Simon O’Connor was dropped from Modest Mouse’s upcoming tour following a controversy on social media where an underage fan published screenshots of private direct messages. The exchange, which surfaced over the weekend on Reddit, detailed an interaction that began when the teenage fan liked several of the musician’s posts just days before her 17th birthday, according to reporting by Pagesix.
The Instagram Exchange and Initial Allegations
According to screenshots shared online, O’Connor initiated contact by sending an image referencing the game Simon Says that read, SIMON calls your bluff BUZZ.
When the fan responded with an alien head emoji and later suggested she believed the account had been hacked, O’Connor allegedly transmitted a sexually explicit photograph of a naked man. The recipient noted that her age was prominently displayed in her social media biography.
After the recipient urged him to get some rest, O’Connor replied, But you did blindside me with a gaggle of likes and then very little intro besides bikini pics so we are both to blame.
He subsequently unsent the message and wrote, I did it again.
The fan stated on Reddit that she initially reached out to multiple individuals within the indie music fandom regarding the incident before sharing the documentation publicly because she felt ignored.
Simon O’Connor’s Public Response and Harassment Claim
O’Connor responded to the mounting criticism with a statement posted directly to Reddit. He stated that he unequivocally oppose any sexual behaviour towards minors, as a human and a parent it disgusts me,
while explaining that he believed he was messaging a long-standing harasser who frequently creates multiple social media accounts and deletes them
with the intention of messing with [him].
After a long night, I picked my phone up to discover that a similar profile had been interacting (‘likes’ to be specific) with some of my instagram posts and stories. I assumed that this was the same person I had dealt with before and, with poor judgement, I decided to reach out with a tasteless meme…
Simon O’Connor, Guitarist
The guitarist added that after a few minutes, he realized the account belonged to a different user, at which point he unsent the messages and ceased all communication. I’m genuinely sorry to the person who received those messages. They didn’t deserve to be put in that position, and I’m sorry for the stress and attention this has brought them,
O’Connor wrote, acknowledging that many would doubt his explanation.
Tour Replacements and Upcoming Dates
Following the disclosure, the band acted swiftly. Modest Mouse announced that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav will replace O’Connor for the remainder of their North American tour, which stretches into October and includes fall Canadian stops in Ottawa and Toronto in support of their album An Eraser and a Maze.
We look forward to being out there with you all,
the group shared in an update on Instagram regarding the revised tour lineup.
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