The Black Keys have spoken out about Jack White's dissing of Keys frontman Dan Auerbach in a private e-mail to his ex-wife, Karen Elson. And while they acknowledge that White "obviously sounds like an a--hole" in his rant, they're more pissed off with TMZ, which leaked the e-mail in the first place.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Keys drummer Patrick Carney gave White the benefit of the doubt. "I actually feel embarassed for him," Carney said. "We've all said f---ed-up s--- in private."

The e-mail, which TMZ published last year, was one of several Elson submitted to a judge during the couple's divorce proceedings. In it, White objected to Elson enrolling their children in the same school Auerbach's kid attended, saying, "That's a possible 12 f---ing years I'm going to have to be sitting in kids chairs next to that a--hole ... He gets yet another free reign to follow me around and copy me."

Auerbach's response to White's comments was guarded: "I don't know him, so it's extra-unexpected."

But Carney had some choice words for TMZ. "Honestly, they should be f---ing ashamed of themselves," he told Rolling Stone. "That was a private conversation. You know how horrifying it would be if all of our private s--- was aired? And people go sniffing around looking for this s---. And ultimately it's no one's business."

More From Q 105.7