Jay Jay French recently provided details about Twisted Sister’s upcoming reunion tour lineup. He addressed the band’s composition for their 2026 50th anniversary celebration in a statement shared on Instagram.
The guitarist clarified the band’s history and confirmed which members will participate in the reunion shows.
“Well, the secret’s out. Everybody knows Twisted Sister is gonna come back in 2026 to celebrate our 50th anniversary,” French said. “Now, for those of you following the band know something about the history, you’ll know that, yes, it goes back a little earlier than that.”
French explained the band’s core formation and timeline for the anniversary celebration.
“It goes back to Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey with me. But the core of the band, which is Dee, me and Eddie — the three of us form the core of Twisted Sister — have been together since February 16th, 1976,” he continued. “So we are celebrating, essentially, our 50th anniversary as the core. Since then, we’ve seen many people come and go. We’ve seen many guitar players come and go. There have been many bass players and drummers come and go. I mean, I believe there’s 14 ex-members at this point, which is kind of incredible, if you think about it.”
The guitarist also announced the drummer for the reunion tour and outlined the planned shows.
“But we’re excited to do this, and we’re excited to play in 2026. We’re gonna be headlining the biggest festivals in Europe and we’re gonna be playing some selected shows in the United States,” French said. “And our drummer for this run is none other than former Twisted Sister drummer Joey Franco. Joey Number Seven — we called him Seven ’cause he was the seventh drummer in the band. Of course now he’s the 10th, I think, because we’ve gone through so many since Joey was in.”
French reflected on the band’s longevity and expressed gratitude for their sustained career.
“To be able to celebrate 50 years — it really is an amazing feeling to know that you have 50 years of a history of a band,” he concluded. “Back in the day, I think when we started, if someone said to me, ‘How many years you gonna last?’ I’d say, ‘Uh, five, 10, maybe,’ ’cause The Beatles lasted 10. So for all the bands that lasted 50, and there’s a bunch of ’em — KISS obviously did it, Aerosmith has done it, [Judas] Priest has done it — and it’s an honor to be in that very elite company of bands who’ve been together this many years and having fans that followed [us] and stayed loyal to the band for this many years.”
The reunion announcement comes with significant lineup changes that reflect the band’s evolution over the decades.
Blabbermouth reported that longtime bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza will not join the reunion tour. Instead, Russell Pzütto will handle bass duties for the 2026 shows. Pzütto has previously toured with Dee Snider’s solo projects. This marks another chapter in the band’s history of lineup changes that French referenced in his announcement.
Joey Franco’s return to the drum kit carries particular significance for the band’s history. Consequence of Sound noted that Franco originally played with Twisted Sister briefly in the mid-1980s before the band’s commercial breakthrough. His nickname “Seven” stems from being the seventh drummer in the band’s rotating lineup. As French noted, that number has since grown considerably.
The drummer’s return also serves as a tribute to the late A.J. Pero, who passed away in 2015. Pero had been the band’s most recognizable drummer during their peak years in the 1980s. He had rejoined the group for their farewell tours in the 2010s. Franco’s appointment represents both continuity with the band’s past and a fresh start for their anniversary celebration.
Blabbermouth confirmed that the reunion tour will begin with a U.S. show in May 2026 before moving to major European festivals. The tour represents the band’s first major reunion since their official farewell in 2016. This makes it a significant event for both longtime fans and the heavy metal community at large.
