Jack White and his management have released a statement attempting to make light of the leaked tour rider that contained a very specific recipe for guacamole and went viral.

Jack White Tour Rider Includes Guacamole Recipe

Before White was scheduled to perform at the University of Oklahoma, the University newspaper The OU Daily ran a story claiming that the concert was costing the school over $80,000. Included in the story, published on Feb. 2, were copies of White’s contract and tour rider, which contains the snacks and accommodations White and his entourage expect backstage.

While White’s rider is just the latest in a string of embarrassing celebrity demands, it quickly went viral due to the very detailed recipe for guacamole, that White supposedly requires as a snack before every show. The rider specifies that the guacamole be “FRESH HOME-MADE [sic],” and provides a list of ingredients and a recipe as well as a specific timetable to ensure freshness. “Please don’t make it too early before it’s served. We’d love to have it around 5 p.m,” read the instructions.

The rider also calls for six real glass champagne flutes, six real glass wine glasses and 6 highball glasses (also specified as real glass), in addition to “assorted small chocolates” and six cans of Coke Zero.

WME Threatens Not To Return To University Of Oklahoma

According to reports, White called out the newspaper during his performance at the school, saying, “Just because you can type it on your computer doesn’t make it right.” Despite the dig, White performed for the students and fulfilled his contract. White’s booking company, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, however, sent The Daily an angry letter declaring that they would never again work with the university, meaning that the acts they represent will not be making stops at the University of Oklahoma. WME represents artists including Alicia Keys, Selena Gomez and Pharrell Williams. According to The Daily, WME said that it would be refraining from booking any shows with the University “until this policy is modified not to disseminate private information.”

Jack White Releases Statement

Many took WME’s statement as a message from White himself saying that he would never again return to the University, but White’s management at Monotone Inc. released their own statement denying that any such blacklisting had been established. “At no time did Jack White or White’s management say that we would never play there again, that is untrue,” reads the letter – titled “Holy Guacamole!”

While much has been made of the extensive guacamole recipe featured in White’s official rider, his management said that the singer does not even write his rider. Instead, according to Monotone Inc., the rocker pays people to write the rider for him.

“Incidentally, the most important function of a rider is that it lays out optimal technical specifications to ensure the audience has the best experience possible. For that, Jack hires a team of very qualified touring professionals who write the rider and attempt to execute a professional and pleasant experience for all involved. Part of that is making sure that the tour personnel of about 30 people plus the local venue staff are fed,” reads the statement.

However, it does not appear that the amount of food requested on the rider would not be enough to feed 30 people – one dozen chicken wings and one large bag of tortilla chips hardly seems like enough for everyone.

Monotone Inc. goes on to state that anybody on White’s team can request items be placed on the rider, and that they aren’t even sure if White is a fan of the popular chip dip. “Contrary to what some believe, Jack doesn’t write the rider nor make demands about his favorite snacks that must be in his dressing room. We’re not even sure he likes guacamole, but we do know that the folks who work hard to put on the show do enjoy it,” Monotone Inc. added.

Montone Inc. also condemned the actions of the school newspaper in their letter, claiming that the paper sent photographers to the concert despite explicitly being told not to in addition to leaking “private” contracts. The company called the actions of the papper “unfortunate, unprofessional and very unwelcoming.”

The Daily Defends Decision

The Daily has responded to the controversy surrounding their decision to print White’s contract and rider, saying that the information was not private, but was public information available upon request. Furthermore, The Daily denied having sneaking in any photographers, but admitted that they did have a photographer outside the venue, taking photographs of people outside in a public place.

The paper stands by its decision to print the contract, and clarified that its intention was not to ridicule White, but to inform students on how their school was handling their funds.

“Journalism must hold public figures accountable. By our university paying White and his band $80,000 to play on campus, he is a public figure. Also, the university officials who booked White were public officials tasked with managing money, some of which comes from students’ fees. We reported the costs so students could see how their money was being spent, who was spending and on whom it was spent,” wrote Emily Sharp, Assistant Life and Arts Editor of The Daily.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.