There’s drama, drama, drama in the Foo Fighters camp, and it’s been simmering ever since they quietly cut ties with drummer Josh Freese in May 2025. Now, nine months later, Dave Grohl is finally spilling the tea.
According to Consequence, in a recent interview, Grohl painted a picture of a band still haunted by the loss of their late drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died in 2022 after 25 years as their rhythmic heart and soul. He said continuing without Hawkins was emotionally loaded from the jump… not just for the band, but for anyone brave enough to sit behind that kit.
Freese, a seasoned pro with credits ranging from Michael Bublé to The Offspring, stepped in and toured with the band for about a year and a half. By all accounts, it was a good run… great shows, good vibes, no obvious cracks. But after their last show in September 2024, the band went quiet. Behind the scenes, though, the members were reportedly debating their next move. Eventually, they made the collective decision to call Freese and tell him they were “moving on.” No dramatic press release, no subtweets… just a group phone call and a polite but final goodbye.
Grohl insists it was a unified decision, and points to something Freese himself later said: that the band’s music didn’t fully resonate with him. Ouch.
In a twist worthy of rock soap opera status, the drummer shuffle turned into a full-on swap. Ilan Rubin, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, joined Foo Fighters, while Freese rejoined Nine Inch Nails, effectively trading places with Rubin.
And because the show must go on, Foo Fighters have already announced their 12th album, Your Favorite Toy, dropping April 24th, along with a 2026 tour that’ll see them hit North America with Queens of the Stone Age this summer. New era, new drummer… but clearly, not without a little behind-the-scenes rock band heartbreak.
Read more from Consequence HERE.
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