The Foo Fighters have fired a key band member in a shock decision eight months after Dave Grohl’s affair rocked the group.

Drummer Josh Freese revealed on Instagram that he was unexpectedly dismissed from the band, amid speculation he was going to be the permanent replacement for the late Taylor Hawkins.

He shared: “The Foo Fighters informed me Monday night that they have chosen ‘to pursue a different direction with their drummer.’ They did not provide any further details.

 ‘Regardless, I enjoyed the past two years with them, both on and off stage, and I support whatever they feel is best for the band.” 

‘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. 

“However, as many of you are aware, I’ve always been a freelance musician, moving between bands, so I’m okay. Keep an eye out for my ‘Top 10 possible reasons Josh got booted from the Foo Fighters‘ list.”

The Foo Fighters have fired a key band member in a shock decision eight months after Dave Grohl’s affair rocked the group

Drummer Josh Freese – pictured last year with Grohl – announced he had been abruptly sacked from the band in an Instagram post – following rumors he had been set to permanently replace the late Taylor Hawkins.

Freese, 52, joined the band in 2023 after the drug-related death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins at 50 in 2022. 

Freese has worked as a drummer for several decades and has toured with acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Devo and Guns N’ Roses.

Hawkins passed away at the age of 50 while the group was on tour in Bogota, Colombia, in March 2022.

The performer joined the band in 1997, three years after it was initially founded by Dave Grohl.

The late musician constantly remained with the group after then and was the recipient of fifteen Grammy Awards.

However, Hawkins began experiencing chest pains while staying at the Four Seasons Casa Medina hotel and subsequently passed away on the evening of March 22.

An autopsy later revealed that the drummer had ten different substances in his system at the time of his death.

It was also announced that the performer’s heart was twice the size of a normal one.

Drummer Josh Freese announced he had been abruptly sacked from the band in an Instagram post – following rumors he had been set to permanently replace the late Taylor Hawkins

Hawkins, passed away at the age of 50 while the group was on tour in Bogota, Colombia, in March 2022. The performer joined the band in 1997, three years after it was initially founded by Dave Grohl – pictured days before his death

Freese’s arrival into the band was announced in May 2023 – t he Grammy Award-winning band made the news known to the public during their Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts livestream

Freese’s firing comes nearly eight months after Grohl welcomed a baby girl with rock fan Jennifer Young – he  shares three older daughters — Violet, 18; Harper, 15; and Ophelia, 10 — with his wife, Jordyn Blum; seen with his family in 2023 in LA

On September 10 2024, Dave took to his social media to announce in a statement that he had welcomed a daughter while vowing to try to ‘regain [the] trust’ of his wife and their daughters 

Grohl threw the band into further turmoil in September 2024 when he revealed he had fathered a child outside of his marriage to Jordyn Blum, with whom he shares three daughters. 

Jennifer Young, 38, was confirmed to be the mother of the daughter he fathered out of wedlock 

Jennifer  confirmed that her baby was born on August 1, 2024, and she said Dave’s last name is listed on the birth certificate.

She lives with her mother in Los Angeles, and often takes their daughter for walks in their neighborhood.

A source told People magazine in November 2024 that the rocker is focused on working things out with her and their daughters, and that divorce is off the table.

The source said: ‘He’s no longer working with a divorce attorney and instead hoping to work things out with his wife.’

Another insider said that he ‘loves his family,’ noting that he has ‘been prioritizing his family. He knows he messed up. It’s one of those situations where you don’t realize what you have done until you’re about to lose it. He doesn’t want to lose his family.’

Multiple sources have claimed that Jordyn has known about the baby ‘for a while,’ and said she is a ‘great mom and very dedicated to their daughters.’

Jordyn and Dave shared daughters Violet, 18, Harper, 15, and Ophelia, 10.

Dave and Jordyn were seen together in February for the first time since his shocking cheating and baby news. 

They were seen in the car together, after Jordyn picked him up from an LA area home. Neither appeared to be wearing wedding rings at the time.