Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese has announced that he has left the popular rock band, claiming that he was 'booted' out.
Freese - who has previously performed with groups such as Guns N' Roses, Nine Inch Nails and Weezer - revealed that he was no longer a part of the Dave Grohl fronted group on Instagram yesterday (16 May).
The 52-year-old officially joined the band in 2023, taking over from long-term member Taylor Hawkins after he passed away from a drug overdose while on tour with the band in Bogotá, Colombia in 2022.
Freese had initially performed with the band for their tribute concerts to Hawkins in London and Los Angeles later that year.
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Telling fans that he was 'shocked and disappointed' by the move, Freese noted that he'd been informed about his departure earlier this week.
"The Foo Fighters called me Monday night to let me know they’ve decided 'to go in a different direction with their drummer.' No reason was given," he wrote.
He continued: "Regardless, I enjoyed the past two years with them, both on and off stage, and I support whatever they feel is best for the band.
"In my 40 years of drumming professionally, I’ve never been let go from a band, so while I’m not angry—just a bit shocked and disappointed.
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"But as most of you know I’ve always worked freelance and bounced between bands so, I’m fine. Stay tuned for my 'Top 10 possible reasons Josh got booted from the Foo Fighters' list."
"Well, there it is," he added in the caption.
Foo Fighters are yet to comment on Freese's claims publicly.
Freese was the third drummer to perform with the long-running rock band, whose biggest hits include 'Everlong', 'Times Like These' and 'All My Life'.
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The group was originally formed by Grohl in the years following the death of his former bandmate, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994, with the 56-year-old recording initial Foo Fighters songs on his own.
He then recruited Sunny Day Real Estate’s William Goldsmith for the band's initial line-up. Goldsmith departed the band a couple of years later, revealing in the band's 2011 documentary Back and Forth that his decision to leave came after learning that Grohl had re-recorded his drums for one of their albums.
"Dave had me do 96 takes of one song, and I had to do thirteen hours' worth of takes on another one," Goldsmith claimed during an interview with the Miami Times after his departure.
He was ultimately replaced by Hawkins in 1997, who remained with the band until his death.
LADbible has approached a representative for Foo Fighters for comment.
Topics: Music, Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl
Brenna Cooper