Dave Grohl has revealed that it was “really complicated” for Foo Fighters to carry on after the passing of Taylor Hawkins, and he has now spoken publicly for the first time about why the band parted ways with Josh Freese.
Hawkins died at 50 in March 2022. He was discovered in his hotel room just hours before Foo Fighters were due to perform at a festival in Bogotá, Colombia.In 2023, Freese, who has played with A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails, joined as the band’s touring drummer and stayed with them until his sudden exit in May 2025.
After that, Ilan Rubin stepped in behind the kit, effectively trading places with Freese. Rubin moved over from Nine Inch Nails to join Foo Fighters, while Freese went back to working with Trent Reznor.
On Thursday February 19, Foo Fighters confirmed details of their 12th studio album, ‘Your Favorite Toy’, and released the explosive title track.
Grohl also sat down with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to talk about the upcoming release, explaining that the album is packed with “noisy, loud bangers” that channel the feeling of “the old days”.
During the conversation, Grohl reflected on what it has been like to move forward as a band since Hawkins’ death, saying there is not a single day that goes by without him and the others thinking about their late drummer.
“We had Taylor Hawkins as our drummer for 25 years and, beyond being an amazing drummer, he was this incredible spirit. He was this incredible human being and he was our brother. He was our best friend,” he said. “So, continuing after Taylor was really complicated, not just for us, but for any drummer that was going to come in to like, you know, fill his shoes… you know.”
He went on to point out that the interview was taking place on what would have been Hawkins’ birthday.
“It’s Taylor’s birthday today. And so, we wake up in the morning and everybody just texts about how much we miss him and how the world’s not the same without him, but we still feel him very much,” Grohl continued.
“We always talk about him every fucking day. In everything we do we want to have that energy, we want to have that energy for Taylor.”
Grohl also addressed Freese’s departure from the group for the first time, after the drummer admitted he felt “shocked and disappointed” by the decision.
After commending Freese for being able to perform with “everyone from Michael Buble to The Offspring”, Grohl said the band had an “amazing time” touring with him for a little over a year before taking a break in 2024 to think about their next chapter.
“During those six or seven months, we had conversations as a band about what direction to take and what should happen next, and we decided, ‘OK, we need to call Josh and tell him we are going to continue with a different drummer’,” Grohl explained, stressing that the choice “was not made overnight”.
“We all made that call together. It was not just me,” he said. “We spoke to Josh and told him, ‘Hey man, it was incredible. We had such a great time, thank you for everything, but we are going to move ahead and bring in someone else.’
“We did not put out a statement or post anything online or speak about it publicly at the time. Since then, there has been plenty of discussion, but I think Josh summed it up best when he said that he did not feel our music truly connected with him, and that really matters.”
Since leaving the band, Freese has shared updates about life after Foo Fighters, insisting that “no one should feel sorry” for him.
The band’s new album is set for release on April 24 and follows 2023’s ‘But Here We Are’.
It will include last year’s ‘Asking For A Friend’, and arrives after Grohl confirmed in January that the record had been completed. Not long after, the band began teasing new material online.
Earlier this month, they refreshed their official website and uploaded further previews of upcoming songs.
Foo Fighters are scheduled to tour the UK and Europe with a series of major stadium shows later this year, followed by dates across North America in the summer and autumn.
They have also revealed plans for shows in Australia and New Zealand in 2026 and 2027. Find any remaining tickets here.
