Ex-Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese posts list of 10 reasons ‘why he got fired from band’

Josh Freese of Foo Fighters has shared 10 reasons he thinks the band let him go (Picture: Jim Dyson/Redferns)

Josh Freese, the latest drummer for Foo Fighters, has shared the reasons he believes he was asked to depart the band after nearly two years.

Freese, 52, joined the iconic group in 2023, following the death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022.

He was previously a drummer for Guns N’ Roses and has worked with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Sting, The Offspring, and many more.

He announced his exit last week with a post that raised eyebrows and questions in equal measure.

‘They told me they were going in a different direction,’ Freese wrote, adding that no specific reason had been offered for the decision.

He continued: ‘No explanation, no warning. Just… that.’

The band’s representatives have remained silent on the matter, offering no official statement or elaboration.

Now, Freese has addressed the possible reasons on Instagram, listing ten hilarious causes.

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Among the imagined offenses? ‘Once whistled ‘My Hero’ for a week solid on tour,’ ‘Never even once tried growing a beard,’ and the confession that he could only name ‘one Fugazi song.’ (A cardinal sin, apparently, given Dave Grohl’s well-documented reverence for the iconic D.C. punk band.)

Freese has been in the band for nearly 2 years (Picture: Harry Durrant/Getty Images)

In one particularly inspired entry, Freese claimed he broke a sacred promise to his old Offspring bandmate Noodles: that the guitarist could be the Foo Fighters’ unofficial ‘fourth guitarist.’

Noodles himself jumped into the comments to play along, quipping, ‘But you promised!’

Freese is often described as the busiest drummer in rock. His resume is a genre-spanning showcase of adaptability, covering artists as stylistically diverse as Sting, Guns N’ Roses, Paramore, Weezer, and even Olivia Rodrigo.

At Coachella 2023, he famously played with hyperpop duo 100 Gecs and film composer Danny Elfman on the same day, cementing him as one of the most versatile drummers in rock.

Freese joined Foo Fighters in May 2023 during an emotional and uncertain chapter.

The band was still reeling from the 2022 death of beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins when Freese was brought in.

Foo Fighters said they were ‘going in a different direction’ when they let Freese go (Picture: Wiki) Former Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died in 2022 (Picture: Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

He debuted as an official member during a livestreamed rehearsal event that spring, and quickly slotted into the fold as the Foos launched a major tour that summer.

While fans initially mourned the shift, many came to appreciate Freese’s approach and that he never attempted to copy Hawkins’ style.

But now, he’s out — with no clear reason given and only one Foo Fighters concert on the books for 2025, an October date in Singapore. Whether the band is simply taking a step back or plotting another reinvention remains to be seen.

For his part, Freese seems determined to keep the tone light, even if the decision caught him off guard. ‘Shocked and disappointed,’ he wrote in his initial post, ‘but also incredibly grateful for the experience.’

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