Foo Fighters and Josh Freese parted ways in May 2025. Freese said the band told him it wanted to take its drumming in a different direction, but gave him no reason at the time. Later comments from Freese and frontman Dave Grohl add context, but neither establishes a single, uncontested explanation.
What Freese said when he announced the split
On May 16, 2025, Freese said Foo Fighters had called him earlier that week and told him it had decided “to go in a different direction with their drummer.” He added, “No reason was given.” Pitchfork reported his announcement that day.
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Freese also said he was “not angry—just a bit shocked and disappointed,” and described this as the first time he had been let go from a band in what he called his 40 years of professional drumming. That figure was his own description, not an independently verified career statistic.
When Freese joined and when he last played with the band
Freese joined Foo Fighters in May 2023, after Taylor Hawkins’s death. His final performance with the band was reported to be a private House of Blues Anaheim event in September 2024. Pitchfork’s contemporaneous report covered both the joining year and the reported last show.
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Freese did not play on Foo Fighters’ 2023 album But Here We Are: the album had been recorded before he joined. The Independent reported the recording chronology when the split was announced.
Why did Josh Freese leave Foo Fighters?
The clearest answer is that the band chose to move on with a different drummer, but the public record does not establish one definitive reason for that choice. Freese’s initial statement said he had not been given a reason. His later reflections and Grohl’s later account should be read as separate perspectives rather than a settled explanation.
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Freese’s later perspective
In an August 2025 interview, Freese described the job as high-pressure and suggested, looking back, that it may have been a management issue. He also said, “It wasn’t music that I really resonated with.” These were Freese’s reflections, not an official explanation from Foo Fighters. MusicRadar reported his comments.
Grohl’s later account
In an interview with Zane Lowe reported on February 23, 2026, Grohl said the band had discussed what to do next for six or seven months. He said the members called Freese together to thank him and tell him they would move on with another drummer: “We called, as a band, all of us called, it wasn’t just me.” Grohl also said the band had not issued a press release, tweet, or interview announcement at the time. MusicRadar reported Grohl’s account.
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How Foo Fighters acknowledged Freese and moved forward
In July 2025, Grohl’s letter accompanying the song “Today’s Song” thanked Freese for the time, music, and memories. The lineup listed with the release named Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee, but no drummer. The Guardian reported the acknowledgment and lineup.
Foo Fighters later hired Ilan Rubin. The Associated Press reported the appointment in May 2026, describing it as occurring about two months after the split. Read the Associated Press report.
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The timeline at a glance
- May 2023: Freese joins Foo Fighters after Hawkins’s death.
- September 2024: Freese’s reported last show with the band, at a private House of Blues Anaheim event.
- May 16, 2025: Freese announces the split and says the band gave him no reason at the time.
- July 2025: Grohl thanks Freese in a letter accompanying “Today’s Song.”
- August 2025: Freese shares his reflections on the role and the music.
- February 2026: Grohl describes the band’s collective decision and the call to Freese.
- By May 2026: Foo Fighters have hired Ilan Rubin, according to the Associated Press.
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