Josh Freese has discussed his departure from Foo Fighters, saying he still isn’t sure why he was let go by the band.
In May, the Foos announced that Josh Freese had been let go as their drummer, with Freese saying he was “shocked” and “disappointed” by the decision. He had joined the Foos as their touring drummer in 2023 following the sudden passing of Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.
He was replaced by former Nine Inch Nails stickman Ilan Rubin, with Freese going in the opposite direction, appearing with Trent Reznor and co. on their North American tour in August.
Regarding his departure form Foo Fighters, Freese said in May that “no reason was given” but that he “enjoyed the past two years with them” and that he supports “whatever they feel is best for the band”. He also jokingly shared his “10 possible reasons for being booted from Foo Fighters.”
In August, he reflected that the move was “probably more an issue with their management” and also confessed that the band’s music wasn’t something he “resonated with.”
During a radio appearance on December 10 (via Loudwire), he was asked if he is yet to be given a reason for being released. “Not really” he replied. “I mean, I’ve got a couple of theories, but I feel like people are so interested in that because they’re such a massive band that I’m kind of hesitant to comment at all about it yet because anything I say is gonna be used and thrown around and republished and reposted.”
Regarding the swap with Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor explained in an interview with Consequence how the trade between the acts came about.
“The reality of that scenario was it was a surprise to me that Ilan was joining the Foo Fighters,” he said. “Ilan is a great musician and had been a solid guy during his tenure in the band, but it presented a problem in terms of we knew there was another leg of the tour that we’re going to start in February [2026]. And we could either replace him immediately [after the early summer 2025 European leg] or we could replace him after the [late summer 2025 North American] leg, which would mean trying to find someone over the holiday break.”
He continued, “As soon as I heard the news, I thought I could call Josh and he could play the show tonight, ’cause there’s no doubt about his ability. And that’s essentially in a shorthand what went down. He was available and willing, and it just made sense on a number of levels.”
@nme @Nine Inch Nails were back in London last night and, there’s no doubt about it, it was one of the most impressive live shows of their career 🔥 Check out a snippet of the gig here, as they gave an explosive rendition of ‘Copy Of A’ #NineInchNails #TrentReznor #PeelItBackTour #nme #music #live #liveperformance #copyofa #nmemagazine
♬ original sound – NME – NME
Reznor concluded: “Being completely honest, we’re adults and we’re professional, but we’re also people with emotional feelings and a sense of camaraderie and intent and purpose. I thought it would feel better to play that last wave of tours with someone that wants to be there, and that’s what went down.”
In other Foo Fighters news, frontman Dave Grohl teamed up with Gibson Custom to launch limited-edition signed guitar. Elsewhere, the legend’s daughter, Violet Grohl, recently released her debut solo single ‘THUM’.
