Modest Mouse has removed guitarist Simon O'Connor from its upcoming tour dates after a teenage fan accused him of sending inappropriate messages, including an erotic image, through Instagram. The band announced the change in a social media post last week, saying O'Connor would not join them on the road. Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav will fill in for the dates. «The good news is that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav will be jumping in to play guitar,» the band wrote. «We look forward to being out there with you all.»
The accusation surfaced last month on Reddit, where a 16-year-old fan shared screenshots and said O'Connor sent her an erotic image after she liked some of his Instagram stories. The fan said her handle indicated her age at the time and that O'Connor had viewed a story about her 17th birthday countdown, which made her age clear. She claimed the guitarist quickly deleted the message before continuing a thread in which he said his phone had not been hacked and that he had been looking at everything «with one eye» after a party night.
When the fan replied with a dismissive comment, O'Connor appeared to respond: «But you did blindside me with a gaggle of likes and then very little intro besides bikini pics so we are both to blame.» A later screenshot appeared to show a deleted message with O'Connor writing, «I did it again.» The band has not commented beyond its announcement, and representatives for Modest Mouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
O'Connor addressed the situation the following day. «I unequivocally oppose any sexual behavior towards minors, as a human and a parent it disgusts me,» he wrote. In a longer statement, he said a person had periodically tried to «mess with» him by creating social media accounts and posting photos he recognized from previous profiles. After a long night, he said, he picked up his phone and found that a similar profile had been interacting with his posts and stories. He said he assumed it was the same person and, using poor judgment, decided to respond with a tasteless meme and an attempt to indicate that he recognized the account. He said he realized within minutes that it was not the person he had dealt with before, unsent the messages and immediately stopped communicating.
He apologized directly to the person who received the messages. «They didn't deserve to be put in that position, and I'm sorry for the stress and attention this has brought them,» he wrote. «I know some people will choose not to believe me, and I understand that. I can't change what's happened. All I can do is tell the truth, take responsibility for my mistake, and apologize.»
O'Connor joined Modest Mouse in 2021 and appears on the band's latest album, «An Eraser and a Maze.» He previously toured with MGMT. Modest Mouse has not said whether his departure extends beyond the current run of live dates or offered any further explanation beyond its original announcement.
