Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has spoken out publicly for the first time about Josh Freese’s shock departure from the band last year.
Freese, who took over as the band’s drummer following the tragic passing of Taylor Hawkins, revealed in an Instagram post last May that he had been let go by the rockers, claiming they called him to let him know that they had decided “to go in a different direction with their drummer.” Freese added, “No reason was given”.
In a new interview with Zane Loew (via NME), on the back of the announcement of their forthcoming new album, Your Favorite Toy, Grohl discussed Freese’s departure, saying the decision “didn’t happen overnight”.
“In those six or seven months, as a band, we talked about what to do next, a new direction, and thought, ‘OK, let’s call Josh and let him know that we are going to move on with a different drummer’,” Grohl said.
“We called, as a band, all of us called, it wasn’t just me.
“Basically, we called Josh, and were like, ‘Hey man, that was awesome. That was such a blast, thank you so much, but we are going to move on and find another drummer.’
“After that, we didn’t make a press release, tweet anything or do interviews. We didn’t say anything. Since then, there’s been a lot of talk about it, but I think Josh said it best when he said that he didn’t feel our music really resonated with him, and that’s really important.”
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Freese has since rejoined Nine Inch Nails and also stepped in for Weezer on their recent run of Australia for the Good Things Festival.
Meanwhile, Foo Fighters’ upcoming 12th record is set for release on April 24, and the band dropped the title track on Friday. Check it out below.
“‘Your Favorite Toy’ really was the key that unlocked the tone and energetic direction of the new album,” Grohl said of the track.
“We stumbled upon it after experimenting with different sounds and dynamics for over a year, and the day it took shape I knew that we had to follow its lead. It was the fuse to the powder keg of songs we wound up recording for this record. It feels new.”
Foo Fighters’ album news quickly follows the announcement of their Australian and New Zealand stadium tour. Grohl and his bandmates will tour throughout the two countries between November 2026 and January 2027.
