Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl speaks for the first time about his split from drummer Josh Freese. Freese was fired in 2025 without explanation, leaving fans searching for answers about his sudden departure.
Grohl now addresses the change in the band’s lineup ahead of the release of Foo Fighters’ 12th studio album.
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Dave Grohl says decision wasn’t made overnight
In an interview on “The Zane Lowe Show,” Grohl addressed a topic that has long intrigued fans: Freese’s departure from the Foo Fighters. The drummer joined the group in 2023 and left two years later.
Grohl was full of praise for Freese, describing him as a “consummate professional” with extensive experience, working with artists like Michael Bublé, The Offspring, Weezer, Sublime and Nine Inch Nails. The decision to let him go, according to Grohl, came after several months of discussions about the direction of the Foo Fighters as a group.
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The band members then called Freese to tell him they were looking for a new drummer. The decision came down to Freese reportedly expressing that he had no connection to the band’s music. “I think Josh said it best when he was like, you know, he didn’t feel like our music was really resonating with him, and that’s really important, right?” Grohl said.
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Josh Freese joins after Taylor Hawkins’ death
Freese joined Foo Fighters in May 2023, just over a year after the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. As previously reported The explosionHawkins died of a cardiovascular collapse while the band was on tour in March 2022.
It was a devastating loss, and continuing the band was “complicated,” as Grohl puts it, since, despite working with four drummers, Hawkins worked with the Foo Fighters for 25 of their 30 years in the industry.
“Continuing after Taylor was really complicated, not just for us, but for any drummer that was going to come in, you know, fill his shoes,” Grohl explained.
Freese performed with the Foo Fighters at Hawkins tribute concerts before being publicly announced as the band’s new drummer.
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The Foo Fighters on tour with Josh Freese
The Foo Fighters released the album “But Here We Are” in 2023, but recording had already been completed by the time Freese officially joined the group. Instead, Grohl performed the album’s drum tracks.
Freese went on tour with the band, which Grohl said went well. “We had such a blast, we had a great time. It was about a year and a half of touring and the shows were great,” he explained.
It was after this tour, however, that the band took time to evaluate the direction they wanted to take, ultimately deciding to replace Freese with another drummer.
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Josh Freese has ‘a lot to say’ about his departure
In May 2025, Freese posted on social media, announcing that he had been fired from Foo Fighters, claiming that he had not been given a reason for the decision. Freese, who has been a drummer for decades, said he has “never been given up” in his career.
He also expressed shock and disappointment, but said he was not angry. Freese wrote, “Regardless, I’ve enjoyed the last two years with them, on and off stage,” adding that he supports the decision to do what’s best for the band.
In an interview with Modern drummer in February, Freese spoke about his firing, but didn’t go into detail for fear his comments were “taken out of context.” He said, however, that he had “a lot to say” about it, but still needed to figure out how and when to best express his piece.
Although he was fired, he said he appreciated Grohl as a bandleader, praising the Foo Fighters for being “generous” and “good” to him during his tenure.
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The new Foo Fighters album
Foo Fighters introduced their new drummer, Ilan Rubin, in September 2025. The band is now preparing for their new album, which follows their 2023 release.
The band released the first single, “Your Favorite Toy”, which is also the name of the album, with Grohl explaining that it encompasses the tone and direction of their new album.
“We stumbled upon this after experimenting with different sounds and dynamics for over a year,” Grohl noted, adding that this particular song was the “fuse” for the new album’s “powder keg of songs.”
“Your Favorite Toy” is scheduled to be released on April 24.
