Josh Freese’s unexpected reaction to Dave Grohl’s invitation to join Foo Fighters was revealed in a recently resurfaced interview. He shared details about the moment he received the call in a previous conversation with Rick Beato.
The drummer discussed his initial doubts and the overwhelming nature of being offered the position following Taylor Hawkins’ death.
“On my children’s lives, I had zero plans of being called to be the drummer,” Freese said. “And everyone and their mother — my neighbor walking the dog, ‘Hey Josh, the Foo Fighters call you yet?’ Other people hitting me up, other drummers, Reddit forums, ‘Josh Freese is gonna be the guy.’ I’m going, ‘I don’t even know if they’re gonna continue after Taylor’s death.'”
He explained his approach to the situation and his decision not to actively pursue the opportunity.
“And most people I knew said, ‘Oh, they’re gonna have to. They’re gonna figure it out.’ I was, like, ‘Well, maybe. Who knows?’ I wasn’t gonna be another guy coming at Dave, going, ‘So dude, if you need a drummer, I’m around. I’m just saying.’ I didn’t mention it once and was busy enough and making a good enough living already that I wasn’t freaked out about it,” he continued. “I wasn’t going, ‘God, I hope they call. I hope they call.'”
Freese then described the actual phone call from Grohl and his surprising emotional response.
“I guess it was right before Christmas that year, 2022, and I got a call from him. I got a missed call. … I called him back, and we small-talked about Christmas and our kids and do they still believe in Santa Claus? I said, ‘Hey, did you go record?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, we recorded a bunch of stuff. And I played drums, and I’m really happy with the way it sounds. I’m really excited about it. And we had the drummer talk. And we want you to be the guy,'” he said.
“And it felt like someone socked me in the stomach. I didn’t go, ‘Wow, yippee, this is so cool.’ I didn’t get excited like that. It was almost like I got the wind knocked out of me. And I was, like, ‘Oh my God.’ I was, like, ‘Here we go.’ ‘Cause I knew… I had time to think about it and all that, but I was, like, come on.”
The drummer concluded by reflecting on his eventual decision to join the band.
“After the holidays, Dave and I got together and talked, and he played me the new record, we were talking, and even there’s sometimes when you go, ‘You know you’ve gotta do this, right?'” Freese said.
These candid revelations about Freese’s initial hesitation take on new significance given the drummer’s journey with the band and recent developments.
The Needle Drop reported that Freese officially joined Foo Fighters in May 2023. He stepped into the challenging role after the tragic death of long-time drummer Taylor Hawkins. The veteran drummer participated in extensive touring and performed at the emotional tribute shows for Hawkins before being officially named the band’s touring drummer.
Before Freese was ultimately chosen for the position, many fans and industry observers expected Oliver Shane Hawkins, son of the late Taylor Hawkins, to fill the role. Wikipedia noted that Oliver had previously performed with the band in an emotional tribute performance on MTV in 2022. This led to widespread speculation about his potential permanent involvement with the group.
Despite his significant contributions to the band over nearly two years, Foo Fighters informed Freese in May 2025 that they were “going in a different direction” with their drummer position. Loudwire revealed that Freese expressed being “shocked and disappointed” by the decision. He maintained his support for what he believed was best for the band.
In a statement following his departure, Freese noted that in his extensive 40-year career in the music industry, this marked the first time he had been let go from a band. His professional response to the situation reflected the same measured approach he had taken when initially considering Grohl’s offer. This demonstrated the veteran drummer’s understanding of the complex dynamics within major rock bands.
