David Ellefson recently opened up about his dismissal from Megadeth in 2021. He addressed his relationship with the band’s leader Dave Mustaine, sharing his perspective in an interview with Quemar Un Patrullero.
The former Megadeth bassist reflected on his departure from the band. He explained his feelings about moving forward without bitterness.
“My farewell with Megadeth was really in 2018. That was my farewell. That was my farewell tour. I feel like I played on the last great Megadeth record, which was [2016’s] ‘Dystopia,'” Ellefson said.
He continued to explain the timeline of his mental departure from the band. He noted a specific moment that felt like closure.
“Dave announced from the stage in Buenos Aires in November 2017, he said, ‘We’re gonna go home and start working on a new album.’ So I feel like that was kind of a good closure for me with Megadeth, which is why I’ve moved on and done so much other stuff,” he added.
Ellefson also addressed his current mindset regarding his former bandmate and the situation that led to his exit.
“I don’t have bitterness in my heart. I almost feel like I was set free to not have to deal with that anymore. Whereas Dave had bitterness toward Metallica, I don’t have bitterness toward Dave or Megadeth. I really don’t,” he concluded.
Ellefson’s comments come nearly three years after his controversial dismissal from the thrash metal band he co-founded. They mark a significant shift in his public stance toward the situation.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Ellefson was fired from Megadeth in May 2021 following the leak of sexually explicit videos and intimate messages that sparked allegations of sexual misconduct. The controversy began on May 10, 2021, when two explicit videos of Ellefson were leaked anonymously online. Screenshots of intimate messages between him and a fan were also released.
The situation escalated quickly. Social media users alleged that Ellefson had groomed a woman they believed to be underage. However, the fan involved later clarified through an Instagram post that she was always a consenting adult and had initiated the interactions herself. Ellefson responded by characterizing the interactions as “private, adult interactions that were taken out of context and manipulated to inflict maximum damage to my reputation, my career and family.”
On May 24, 2021, Megadeth officially announced Ellefson’s dismissal through a statement by Dave Mustaine. The statement said that “with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward.” The dismissal marked the end of Ellefson’s decades-long tenure with the band he helped establish in the 1980s.
Following his departure, Ellefson pursued legal action against Mustaine. He filed an $18 million lawsuit claiming he was owed royalties and was a co-owner of the Megadeth name. Chaoszine noted that this lawsuit was eventually dismissed, but tensions between the former bandmates have persisted. Despite expressing a strong desire to participate in Megadeth’s farewell tour, Ellefson has been excluded from the band’s final shows. Mustaine has resisted calls to include former members due to past behavior concerns.
