Devo's Jerry Casale sparks outrage for his Twin Towers-themed wedding cake

Publish date: 2024-05-30

Jerry Casale, one of the founding members of Devo, has caused controversy online after photos surfaced of his 9/11-themed wedding cake. 

The 67-year-old got married Krista Napp at Michael's Restaurant in Santa Monica, California on Friday - the 14th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 innocent Americans.

In pictures from the reception, Casale and his bride are seen beaming next to their cake in the shape of the Twin Towers, each with one of their faces plastered to the side.

And it didn't stop there. In addition to the cake, guests were each given their own pair of real box cutters as party favors, as well as seating cards with their names over an engraved box cutter. 

Devo founding member Jerry Casale sparked controversy this week when pictures surfaced of his Twin Towers-themed wedding cake. Pictured on the left with his bride Krista Napp (in white, center)

Devo founding member Jerry Casale sparked controversy this week when pictures surfaced of his Twin Towers-themed wedding cake. Pictured on the left with his bride Krista Napp (in white, center)

Casale later told TMZ that the wedding cakes were a joke hatched by one of his friends. He says everyone ate the cake  

Casale later told TMZ that the wedding cakes were a joke hatched by one of his friends. He says everyone ate the cake  

Devoted: Before meeting and marrying Jerry Casale, arguably his number one fan was Krista Napp who is pictured here with a ticket for a 2008 DEVO concert in Akron, Ohio wearing her red Energy Dome hat

Aftershow: Krista Napp is interviewed by a camera crew backstage before the show. The crew was interviewing DEVO fans as footage for a planned documentary on the band. This picture features on a DEVO fan site DEVO-obsesso

Aftershow: Krista Napp is interviewed by a camera crew backstage before the show. The crew was interviewing DEVO fans as footage for a planned documentary on the band. This picture features on a DEVO fan site DEVO-obsesso

Above, a place seating used at the wedding reception complete with an engraved box cutter 

Above, a place seating used at the wedding reception complete with an engraved box cutter 

After the pictures emerged online, Casale recorded a video denying his part in the distasteful dessert. 

Casale told TMZ that he got married on 9/11 by 'chance' because it was the last Friday he could get married before his marriage license expired. He says he and his bride got married at the Beverly Hills Courthouse and then held a small reception for about 20 friends at Michael's.

'One of the friends surprised me with the cake, and these place settings, and it was because they thought it was really macabre that I was getting married on 9/11. 

'And I was like "no, it's just arbitrary and Krista and I are the Twin Towers of love" - you know, making a joke about love conquering all,' Casale said, adding that everyone ate the cake.   

The new wave band Devo is best known for their hit Whip It! and their red 'energy dome' hats. Casale pictured playing with the band in 2007 on the left and in 1979 on the right 

Sources told TMZ that the theme of the wedding reception wasn't surprising considering the couple's dark sense of humor. 

One guest insisted to the gossip site that Jerry has a 'real heart as an artist, and is a super sweet guy. 

But commenters online weren't so forgiving.

Twitter user Tim Baker wrote: 'This might be the most offensive thing I've seen in years, and it takes a lot of offend me.'

Daniel Wyher added that it was 'absolutely offensive' and 'if I was invited I'd leave the reception immediately.'

While not much is known about Casale's wife Krista, pictures posted online suggest she may have been a Devo superfan before meeting her husband.

In October 2008, Napp was snapped attended a Devo concert in Ohio decked out in a red energy dome hat. In one of the photos snapped at the concert, Napp is seen sitting down for an interview with a crew filming a documentary on the band, and is described by the photographer as a fan.

Just three years later, her LinkedIn profile says she relocated from Ohio to Los Angeles where she continues to work as a production assistant for a commercial company.

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Public records indicate that Napp is 26 years old and attended Casale's alma mater of Kent State University.

The photos of Casale's offensive wedding come just days after Entourage star Adrian Grenier sparked a similar fury online for posting a message on Instagram, criticizing America's response to the terrorist attacks. 

The post reads: 'RIP the 2,996 Americans who died on 9/11. RIP the 1,455,590 innocent Iraqis who died during the U.S. invasion for something they didn't do.' 

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