Modest Mouse Kicks Guitarist Off Tour After He Allegedly Sent Inappropriate Messages to Minor

Modest Mouse guitarist Simon O’Connor has officially been booted from the band’s ongoing tour after news surfaced that he allegedly sent inappropriate messages to a minor on social media.

The band shared the news in an Instagram post, noting that “Simon O’Connor will not be joining us on the upcoming tour.”

“The good news is that Seth Jabour of Les Savy Fav will be jumping in to play guitar,” the band said. “We look forward to being out there with you all.”

Earlier this week, screenshots began to circulate online that showed O’Connor sending inappropriate messages to a young fan. The claims started in the r/ModestMouse subreddit, where a fan claimed that O’Connor direct messaged her a sticker and then sent an explicit meme before deleting the picture and later apologizing for the message.

While the fan initially brushed off the message and told O’Connor that she just assumed his account was hacked, the guitarist responded, “Wish I was hacked just had a party night and looking at everything with one eye ya know.” After a few more messages, O’Connor continued: “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 later responded the message again, writing, “I did it again.”

The fan who shared the photos on the Modes Mouse subreddit noted that she was 16 at the time of the interaction and her birthday was listed in her profile bio.

O’Connor responded once the messages came to light, issuing an apology to the fan on the Modest Mouse subreddit. He said that he mistook the fan for a troll who had previously made burner accounts simply to provoke him online.

“After a few minutes, I realized that I had made a mistake and this was not the person who I had dealt with before,” O’Connor said. “I unsent the messages and immediately ceased 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. 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 has been the guitarist in Modest Mouse since 2021.

Modest Mouse’s 2026 tour picks-up again on August 4, crossing the country for shows through late August. The run wraps-up with an appearance at Atlanta’s Shaky Knees festival on August 20.