Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl has finally spoken out about the sudden firing of Josh Freese last year in a new interview with Apple Music 1, revealing that the decision “didn’t happen overnight”.
After months of silence, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has finally opened up about the band’s decision to fire drummer Josh Freese.
The beloved rock group announced Freese’s departure in May last year, thanking him for his time in the band. Freese, however, would quickly share that he was left confused by his firing, admitting that he felt “shocked and disappointed”.
“In my 40 years of drumming professionally, I’ve never been let go from a band,” Freese wrote.
“Regardless, I enjoyed the past two years with them, both on and off stage, and I support whatever they feel is best for the band.”
Freese would first play with the Foo Fighters in 2022 as one of several guest drummers at tribute concerts in honour of the band’s late drummer, Taylor Hawkins. That same year, he’d join the band as their full-time touring drummer, but would not record on their 2023 album, But Here We Are.
The band have been fairly tight-lipped about Freese’s departure. Now, after months of speculation, Grohl has finally shared some details about the decision to move on with a different drummer, revealing the choice was made in 2024 after the band took a break from touring.
“In those six or seven months, as a band, we talked about what to do next, a new direction, and thought, ‘OK, let’s call Josh and let him know that we are going to move on with a different drummer,'” Dave Grohl recently explained in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1 (via NME), stressing that the choice “didn’t happen overnight.”
“We called, as a band, all of us called, it wasn’t just me,” he continued. “Basically, we called Josh, and were like, ‘Hey man, that was awesome. That was such a blast, thank you so much, but we are going to move on and find another drummer.'”
“After that, we didn’t make a press release, tweet anything or do interviews. We didn’t say anything. Since then, there’s been a lot of talk about it, but I think Josh said it best when he said that he didn’t feel our music really resonated with him, and that’s really important.”
Following Freese’s departure, the Foo Fighters would find their next drummer in Nine Inch Nails member Ilan Rubin. In a humorous twist of fate, the Trent Reznor-led rock band would announce that Freese would rejoin the band in lieu of Rubin’s departure on the very same day.
Now, Foo Fighters are gearing up for the release of their next album, Your Favourite Toy, set to release April 24. Last week, the band updated their website, letting fans hear over 11 previews for upcoming songs on the album.
Grohl and co. are also set to return to Australia and New Zealand after playing a one-off show in Tasmania earlier this year, kicking things off at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in November.
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