Zak Starkey appears to be fully back in The Who fold again. The veteran timekeeper — and son of Ringo — who was unceremoniously booted from his gig keeping the beat for The Who after nearly 30 years on the job in 2025, confirmed last week that his off, then on, then off-again gig is firmly his again as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame icons have begun rehearsals.
Commenting on singer Roger Daltrey telling an audience at his Las Vegas solo show at the Encore Theater last Wednesday (Aug. 26) that the Who is gearing up to come back together with Starkey on drums following a recent rehearsal that “sounded great,” Starkey confirmed the news on Friday (Aug. 28).
“Nice one Rog x. Lookin forward to tearin it up with The Who again,” Starkey wrote on Instagram alongside a clip of a report about Daltrey’s reunion comments. “The rehearsal was great.. I don’t think we’ve ever rehearsed as tough as that .. usually we drink tea and talk about what time we’re going home!”
In a statement to Variety, Starkey confirmed the unexpected news, saying, “We rehearsed for an afternoon and were absolutely on fire. I’m so happy to be back playing the music I love with people I love. It’s good to be home.”
The surprising rapprochement comes more than a year after a tumultuous back-and-forth between Starkey and the band led by Daltrey, 80 and guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, 81. After beginning a nearly three-decade gig playing with the group in 1996, a rep for the Who announced last April that Starkey had been asked to step down. Reports at the time claimed that it was Daltrey who was behind the ousting, following gigs at London’s Royal Albert Hall in which he reportedly had trouble hearing his vocals over Starkey’s bombastic playing.
Starkey was then just as unexpectedly rehired a few days later, only to be fired again after a month in a messy back-and-forth that resulted in drummer Scott Devours joining the band for what was billed as a farewell North American tour. Though the Who completed that outing in October of last year, it appears they may continue it in other regions with Starkey once again behind the kit; at press time, a spokesperson for The Who had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on Starkey’s re-hiring or future tour dates.
“It’s not over by any means,” Daltrey told the Arizona Republic about the future of the Who while promoting his solo tour. “It’s just that was the last tour of America for the Who.” At press time, the band has not confirmed any new tour dates on their schedule.
