Dave Grohl Explains Foo Fighters' Decision To Part Ways With Drummer Josh Freese

Dave Grohl has publicly addressed Foo Fighters' split from drummer Josh Freese for the first time, telling Zane Lowe in a new interview that the decision "didn't happen overnight." Freese joined the band in May 2023 after their longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins died in March 2022, but was let go in May 2025 with "no reason given," according to Josh's Instagram post at the time. Grohl explained that "continuing on after Taylor was really complicated, not just for us, but for any drummer that was going to come in to fill his shoes." After touring with Freese for about a year and a half, the band took a break and spent six to seven months discussing the new direction they wanted to go in the future. "We called, and we told him, as a band - all of us called, it wasn't just me," Grohl said, adding they expressed gratitude for their two-year collaboration while telling him "we're going to move on and find another drummer." Ilan Rubin has since officially been named Foo Fighters new drummer, and the band will release their 12th studio album, Your Favorite Toy, on April 24.