Josh Freese recently addressed his departure from the Foo Fighters. He discussed why he has chosen to keep quiet about the circumstances surrounding his firing in an interview shared on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk.
When asked about receiving clarity on why he was let go from the band, Freese explained his reluctance to comment publicly on the matter.
“Not really. I mean, I’ve got a couple of theories, but I feel like people are so interested in that because they’re such a massive band that I’m kind of hesitant to comment at all about it yet because anything I say is gonna be used and thrown around and republished and reposted. But, yeah, I loved my time I spent down there. I had a great couple of years with those guys,” Freese said.
Freese also addressed the apparent timing of his departure from Foo Fighters and his subsequent joining of Nine Inch Nails. He replaced Ilan Rubin, who moved to the Foo Fighters. He emphasized that the transition was purely coincidental rather than a coordinated swap.
“As far as the drummer swap thing, it’s funny because it’s just coincidence the way it worked out. It’s not like there was a purposeful drum swap. And, actually, if Ilan, who was playing with Nine Inch Nails, who joined the band after I left in 2009, if he left Nine Inch Nails to go join — pick a band — Muse, I don’t know, Trent would’ve called me. It’s not like it was an intentional swap,” he explained.
Freese further elaborated on how the opportunity with Nine Inch Nails came about. He described it as a natural reunion with Trent Reznor.
“It’s like when Trent needed a drummer, when Ilan split, he was, like, ‘Well, I’m gonna call Freese.’ And he called me and I was, like, ‘Hell yeah.’ Because I missed working with Trent and I loved working with him the last time I did it back between ’05 and ’09. And it just so happens to be he needed a drummer because his drummer was going to join the band that I just was let go from,” Freese continued.
“So it was just completely coincidence that that that’s the way that that worked. You know what I mean? It wasn’t premeditated, it wasn’t worked out by anybody. It was just kind of, like, ‘Well, I need a drummer. Sure, I’ll call Josh. Oh, how funny. I’m calling Josh because I need a drummer, because my drummer just left to work with the band that Josh just left.’ So it was just pure coincidence.”
Freese’s departure from the Foo Fighters came as a shock to many in the music industry. The firing happened almost two years to the day after Freese was officially hired on May 21, 2023, to replace the late Taylor Hawkins, according to Modern Drummer. Freese announced his dismissal himself on Instagram in May 2025. The band called him to say they were “going in a different direction with their drummer.”
The dismissal marked a significant moment in Freese’s career. In his 40 years of professional drumming, this was his first firing, as reported by Ultimate Classic Rock. Despite the shock, Freese expressed support for the band’s decision. He noted his freelance background, suggesting he was open to moving forward with other projects.
In later interviews, Freese provided more insight into the split. He attributed the separation partly to issues with Foo Fighters’ management, according to Ultimate Guitar. He admitted that the band’s music “wasn’t [what] I really resonated with.” He also felt pressure to perform perfectly as Hawkins’ replacement.
The drummer swap that followed was indeed remarkable. Freese rejoined Nine Inch Nails in July 2025 for his second stint with the band, while NIN’s longtime drummer Ilan Rubin joined Foo Fighters, as noted by Ultimate Classic Rock. Freese praised Rubin as a “phenomenal drummer” suited for the Foo Fighters role. He called the swap unbelievable—a sentiment that aligns with his recent comments about the coincidental nature of the transition.
