Ilan Rubin has spoken publicly for the first time about the behind-the-scenes drama that fuelled months of fan speculation over his move from Nine Inch Nails to the Foo Fighters — and he’s shutting down the idea that the two bands secretly traded drummers.
Rubin, who made his live debut with Foo Fighters in September 2025, told Elmo Lovano’s Go With Elmo podcast that the entire situation began when Dave Grohl unexpectedly reached out.
He said: “Well, at some point in time I got a call from Dave. We talked about some stuff. He knew that my touring commitments at the time were coming to an end, and I was available after that.”
Leaving Nine Inch Nails after nearly 17 years wasn’t a small decision.
Rubin described it as “the end of a lengthy, extensive era for me”, but said the Foo Fighters made the transition surprisingly easy.
He continued: “This new chapter has been incredible — still very new, obviously… the most outgoing, inviting people and organization. Kind of just feeling like everything fits like a glove is great.”
Rubin also revealed that the Foo Fighters held multiple audition rounds before making their choice.
He said: “They really wanted to make sure that whoever came in was vetted as best as possible.”
When he finally sat down to play, he arrived fully prepared: “I showed up as if it was ready to be night one of a tour. And we just played smoothly, and that was that.”
But the biggest talking point among fans has been the timing.
Rubin left Nine Inch Nails, and almost immediately, Josh Freese — who had just exited Foo Fighters — returned to NIN.
Online, it was framed as a dramatic drummer trade.
Rubin says that theory is completely wrong.
He insisted: “There is no story, honestly. It wasn’t a swap.
“I left my tenure with Nine Inch Nails to join Foo Fighters. Nine Inch Nails needed a drummer, and the drummer they got was the guy who was no longer with Foo Fighters. And that’s literally what it was.”
The only part that bothered him was the suggestion he bailed on NIN without warning.
He said: “It kind of gave the impression that I just said, ‘Well, this came up. I’m outta here,’ which was not the case at all.”
In the end, the timing worked out perfectly. Instead of rushing into rehearsals, Rubin suddenly had months to learn the Foo Fighters’ catalogue.
He said: “It allowed me to… leisurely learn 40 songs or whatever it was, hang out with the guys, get to know everybody really well.”
Now firmly settled in, Rubin says the new role feels right: “Everything’s awesome. So much fun. The smiles are real, and I can’t get enough of it.”
