Josh Freese says he’s “shocked and disappointed” as Foo Fighters “boot” him from the band

Josh Freese has said that he and Foo Fighters have parted ways.

• READ MORE: Foo Fighters live in Manchester: invincible and still untouchable

Freese joined the Foos as their touring drummer in 2023, following the sudden passing of their drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022. Prior to that, he had played for Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, Devo and more.

In a post on Instagram, Freese has claimed that the band told him his tenure with them was coming to an end earlier this week.

“The Foo Fighters called me Monday night to let me know they’ve decided ‘to go in a different direction with their drummer’,” he wrote. “No reason was given : (. 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.”

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A post shared by Josh Freese (@joshfreese)

He added: “In my 40 years of drumming professionally, I’ve never been let go from a band, so while I’m not angry – I’m shocked and disappointed. But as most of you know I’ve always worked freelance and bounced between bands so I’m fine. Stay tuned for my “top 10 possible reasons Josh got booted from the Foo Fighters” list.”

Foo Fighters haven’t yet commented on Freese’s statement. NME has reached out to their representatives for comment.

In other news, it was announced this week that Foo Fighters would make their live return this October to headline the Singapore F1 Grand Prix concerts.

The October 4 show will mark the band’s first show since August 2024. It is their first show of 2025, and according to their website is currently their only gig of the year.

It will also mark the band’s first appearance together since Grohl courted controversy in September when he revealed that he had fathered a daughter outside of his marriage.

Following the news, Foo Fighters subsequently cancelled their scheduled headline slot at the Soundside Music Festival. In December, Hellfest founder and director Ben Barbaud claimed that the band had scrapped a summer 2025 tour, suggesting that Foo Fighters were primed to headline the French festival but were instead replaced by Muse.

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