Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys have said they “feel embarrassed” for Jack White following an incident last year in which e-mails he allegedly sent criticising the duo were revealed.

In 2013, an email leaked to TMZ which was allegedly sent by White to his ex-wife Karen Elson appeared to show White branding Dan Auerbach a “copy” and an “asshole”.

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Elson divorced White in 2011 but she took out a restraining order against her ex-husband on July 22 amid allegations of “harassment” and “bullying” behaviour. One of the emails allegedly found White complaining that Elson has enrolled their two children, seven-year-old Scarlett and six-year-old Henry, into the same school as Auerbach’s daughter, five-year-old Sadie.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, drummer Patrick Carney said White “sounds like an asshole” but added: “I actually feel embarassed for him…I don’t hold grudges, man. I really don’t. We’ve all said fucked-up shit in private, and divorce is hard.”

“I really think personal things are personal things,” Carney continued. “Like, TMZ? Honestly, they should be fucking ashamed of themselves, that they make a living dragging poor souls that have nothing, that aren’t famous, into this world. Everybody should be scrutinised? I don’t believe that. I think that if you come off with a strong platform or moral agenda, then, yeah, maybe you should be scrutinised if there’s a conflict there. Like, if you’re a TV evangelist who’s doing something awful. But you’re a fucking rock musician, you’re a fucking actor, you’re a fucking model or whatever. It’s your job, you know what I mean? No one’s doing anything illegal, it’s just that people are living lives that get complicated.”

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The Black Keys released their latest album, Turn Blue, earlier this month. Jack White releases his second solo album in June.