Jay Weinberg on Slipknot Firing: ‘Just a Clown Show’

Asked whether he still needs an explanation for his Slipknot exit, Jay Weinberg said he has had to make his own peace with it — then offered a pointed “clown show” remark.

Jay Weinberg says he no longer needs Slipknot to explain why he was fired. In a new conversation with Metal Injection’s Frank Godla, the drummer reflected on the end of his decade with the band, the hip surgery that followed and the people who helped him through it.

Godla asked if Weinberg still wanted an answer after previously saying he had not been given a real reason for the decision. “No, no,” Weinberg replied. He explained that without answers or closure, he had to find his own sense of closure, helped by a therapist and friends. Then came the line drawing attention: “What kind of comments do I have to say about, you know, just a clown show.” The wording is Metal Stop’s transcription of the exchange.

It is a sharp phrase in a discussion about his firing. Weinberg did not explicitly say whether “clown show” meant the decision, the way it was handled, the wider situation or anyone in particular. The possible echo of percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan’s name is hard to miss, but Weinberg did not identify him in the remark.

An unanswered question, and a way forward

As BLUNT reported in April, Weinberg told Rolling Stone that the band’s manager phoned him after their last show together to say his contract would not be renewed. He said the explanation he received was a “creative decision” and described the preceding year as tense. At the time, he said the decision remained confusing to him.

The new answer adds a distinction: he may still lack an explanation, but says he no longer needs one to move ahead. The split also coincided with a long-planned hip operation. In the Metal Injection interview, Weinberg describes recovering on his couch, unable to walk for a period, while rebuilding his relationship with music. A call from Suicidal Tendencies about playing drums gave him something to work towards before he could walk again.

Since then, Weinberg has toured with Suicidal Tendencies, recorded with Fuming Mouth and released collaborations under his own name. He has also spoken about seeking therapy during that transition. His latest interview places the remark within a longer account of recovery and new creative work, rather than a newly disclosed reason for the firing.

Watch Metal Injection’s full interview below.