Modest Mouse dropped guitarist Simon O’Connor from their tour in light of allegations that he engaged in inappropriate messages with a minor. The band announced the move Friday, and now Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav will play guitar instead. With the tour kicking off August 4 in Ojai, California, Modest Mouse made the call fast—but the story itself is messier than a quick goodbye.
Here’s what went down. On July 26, 2026, a Reddit user shared screenshots of a conversation with O’Connor. The fan was 16 at the time and had her date of birth in her Instagram bio. According to the posts, O’Connor opened a direct-message conversation with a sticker that read “Simon calls your bluff, BUZZZ,” then sent a graphic meme of a naked man—censored in the Reddit post but allegedly uncensored in the original message—and viewed her Instagram story counting down to her 17th birthday. The fan said O’Connor also sent a suggestive message about her “bikini pics.”
O’Connor’s defense? Mistaken identity. He wrote on the Modest Mouse subreddit that he mistook the fan for a troll with a history of “messing with” him from fake accounts. In his Reddit statement, O’Connor claimed “After a few minutes, I realized that I had made a mistake and this was not the person who I had dealt with before. I unsent the messages and immediately ceased communication.” He added, “Firstly, I would like to just say that I unequivocally oppose any sexual behavior towards minors, as a human and a parent it disgusts me.”
But Reddit wasn’t buying it. Multiple commenters flagged the specificity of O’Connor’s references—why would he reference bikini photos if he thought he was messaging a known troll? The mistaken identity excuse crumbles when you’re looking at explicit content and birthday countdowns. And the fact that he could see her age in her bio makes “I didn’t know” a non-starter.
Modest Mouse’s response was swift and clean. O’Connor joined the band in 2021 and plays on their recently released album An Eraser and a Maze. Dropping him weeks into their summer tour cycle—right before the opening date—is a clear statement that the band won’t tolerate this, regardless of his explanation. The band did not provide further details about O’Connor’s status beyond the upcoming tour or indicate whether he remains a member of Modest Mouse. That’s the key detail: this might just be a tour exit, or it could be permanent. Either way, the band’s made its choice.
Fans flooded the band’s Instagram announcement with support. One comment read “Good news for people who love good news,” while another praised the move: “Sorry you guys had your names attached to that previous guitarist, yall are some incredible musicians and deserve better people in your corner.” That’s the cultural moment we’re in now—bands can’t move past this stuff, and fans won’t let them.
The 16BARS take: Modest Mouse made the right call cutting O’Connor before the first show, but the real test is whether they mean it long-term. A tour replacement is damage control; full removal is accountability. We’ll be watching.
