Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails Trade Drummers

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JULY 15: (L-R) Josh Freese and Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters perform onstage during Harley-Davidson’s Homecoming Festival – Day 2 at Veterans Park on July 15, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Harley-Davidson)

Getty Images for Harley-Davidson

Drumming great Josh Freese was blindsided—and he wasn’t alone—when he was suddenly fired from the Foo Fighters last May.

On Wednesday, Freese announced he has a new gig. He’s back with Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, who’ll kick off their North American tour in Oakland, California on August 6. Freese previously toured with NIN from 2005-2008.

But where does this leave longtime NIN drummer Ilan Rubin, who’s been with the band for 16 years? He’s joining the Foo Fighters, of course.

The surprising switch, confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, takes place as the Foo Fighters celebrate their 30th anniversary, and prepare to play their first concerts after a year-long absence.

While the Foo Fighters haven’t formally announced their new hire, Nine Inch Nails shouted Freese’s return from the rooftops on social media. The drummer soon chimed in with a post of his own.

“NIN was a band that left me walking off stage every single night thinking, ‘That was incredible. We absolutely crushed it,’” he wrote.

“…That level of intensity, pride, and satisfaction after each show is something I’ve rarely experienced anywhere else. Now, being back on tour with Trent and the crew—helping them do what they do best night after night—is something I’m incredibly excited about. To be part of that energy again feels amazing.”

Freese joined the Foo Fighters in 2023, after the death of the band’s longtime drummer, Taylor Hawkins, in 2022. It was a widely applauded move: Freese has toured and recorded with dozens of music giants, and shared the band’s sense of humor and punk roots.

When they parted ways in May, Freese said it was the first time he’d ever been let go from a band.

“I’m not angry—just a bit shocked and disappointed,” he wrote on social media.

Rubin joined Nine Inch Nails in 2009, and became the youngest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when he was inducted alongside the rest of the group in 2020. He’ll start his run with Foo Fighters with a concert in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 2nd. Earlier this month, the Foo Fighters released a new song, “Today’s Song,” alongside a letter from frontman Dave Grohl, reflecting on the band’s 30-year journey.