\n<\/p>\n
Veteran rock drummer Josh Freese has opened up about his firing from Foo Fighters<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n “I’m coming in as Dave Grohl<\/a>‘s drummer, and the guy that’s supposed to save the day after the beloved Taylor Hawkins<\/a> died,” Freese told\u00a0The New York Times<\/a><\/em>. Although Freese is no stranger to picking up high-stakes, high-profile gigs on short notice, he said the weight of replacing Hawkins made\u00a0him\u00a0feel “like I had to be firing on all cylinders all the time.”<\/p>\n “Looking back, it was probably more an issue with their management,” Freese surmised of his dismissal.\u00a0On a personal level, he’s not too hung up on the decision, adding, “It wasn’t music that I really resonated with.”<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong>\u00a0Josh Freese Theorizes Top 10 Reasons for Foo Fighters Dismissal<\/a><\/p>\n Freese announced his dismissal<\/a> from Foo Fighters in May, noting that “no reason was given” for the decision. “In my 40 years of drumming professionally, I’ve never been let go from a band, so while I’m not angry \u2014 just a bit shocked and disappointed,” he added. (Foo Fighters thanked Freese for his “thunderous wizardry” when they released “Today’s Song<\/a>” in early July.)<\/p>\n The drummer didn’t stay idle for long. In July, Freese rejoined Nine Inch Nails<\/a>, with whom he’d previously toured from 2005 to 2008. Longtime Nine Inch Nails drummer\u00a0Ilan Rubin simultaneously joined Foo Fighters<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> 11 Rock Bands That Got Rid of Their Drummers in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n “I couldn’t believe it,” Freese said of the drummer swap. “But Ilan’s a phenomenal drummer, a phenomenal musician. He’ll be perfect for the gig.”<\/p>\n It’s been a tough year for rock drummers, with more than a dozen veteran bands announcing personnel changes. That includes fellow ’90s rock legends Pearl Jam<\/a>, whose drummer Matt Cameron recently left the group<\/a> after 27 years.<\/p>\n Some fans have speculated that Freese is a\u00a0shoo-in for the gig, but he doesn’t know if the band will make him an offer.<\/p>\n “But whatever happens, I’m going to be out there playing,” he said. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”<\/p>\n From the one-man-band debut to their sprawling, chart-topping classics, a look at the studio releases by Dave Grohl and band.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhen Did Foo Fighters Fire Josh Freese?<\/h3>\n
Could Josh Freese Join Pearl Jam?<\/h3>\n
Foo Fighters Albums Ranked <\/h2>\n