“One day it was nothing but laughs. We're on stage and Dave's looking at me every night like, 'You're killing it, dude!!!' And then it was just... over": Josh Freese is still puzzled as to why he was fired from Foo Fighters

Josh Freese says that he’s still mystified as to why the Foo Fighters gave him the heave-ho last year.

The 53-year-old drummer was first recruited to the band after Taylor Hawkins' passing in 2022. He stayed with them during the entirety of the Everything Or Nothing At All tour in support of the But Here We Are album, but was abruptly let go in May 2025, saying on Instagram: "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.”

Nine months on, it seems he’s none the wiser. In a new interview with Modern Drummer, he said: "The Foo Fighters are such a big, mainstream band that everything I say gets taken out of context, reposted, and blown out of proportion. People created headlines from one quick, simple comment I made on a podcast not long ago - it's crazy. I've got to be careful about what I say about it. But I've got a lot to say about it and I've been just trying to figure out how and when, to go about really articulating it."

Asked why he thought he was fired, he said: "I have a couple small theories, but I can't really go into them right now. I did really enjoy the two years I spent with those guys, however, and they were good to me… until they weren't.

"I enjoyed being around those guys, they were generous and good to me… and that's what makes the whole thing even more of a mystery. I think I'm a pretty good read on people, and I did not see that coming. One day it was nothing but laughs, we're on stage and Dave's looking at me every night like, 'You're killing it, dude!!!' And then it was just – over."

Previously, in an interview with the New York Times, Freese suggested his sacking could have been connected with business issues: "Looking back, it was probably more an issue with their management," he said, adding, "It wasn't music that I really resonated with."

Anyway, as we know, Freese fell on his feet as he’s now rejoined Nine Inch Nails, with their drummer Ilan Rubin going the other way and joining the Foos.