Foo Fighters (Finally) Reportedly Lock In New Drummer

Foo Fighters have pretty much conducted a swap with industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails.

According to reports from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, Foo Fighters have secured their new drummer, and it’s Nine Inch Nails’ longtime drummer Ilan Rubin.

Meanwhile, Nine Inch Nails confirmed that following Josh Freese being let go from Foo Fighters a few months ago, he’s returned behind the kit with Trent Reznor and co.

A source reportedly confirmed to Variety that Ilan Rubin, who’s played drums for Nine Inch Nails from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2013 until now, will leave the band and join Foo Fighters.

At the time of publication, it’s uncertain if Rubin joins Foo Fighters as a permanent member of the band, or if he’s joining as a touring drummer ahead of the group’s October tour dates in Jakarta, Singapore and Mexico City. Foo Fighters haven’t yet addressed the reports.

Meanwhile, Freese played with Nine Inch Nails from 2005 until 2008, and the band have already confirmed his return. Freese replaces Rubin on the group’s current Peel It Back World Tour after the latter reportedly told Nine Inch Nails he’d been offered a role by another band.

On Nine Inch Nails’ social media accounts, they confirmed Freese is back in the band with a picture of the drummer and the enthusiastic caption, “Let’s fucking GO.”

Josh Freese has since shared a post of his own, where he wrote:

Leaving Nine Inch Nails at the end of 2008 was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. My wife and I were expecting our third child, and I knew I needed to step away from life on the road to be home with my family.

NIN was a band that left me walking off stage every single night thinking, "That was incredible. We absolutely crushed it." And it wasn't just a feeling, it was a certainty. 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.

If you get a chance to catch one of these shows over the next six weeks, I promise, they're going to be absolutely unforgettable.

Hope to see you out there.

Let’s fucking GO pic.twitter.com/8WDVJ0iPEi

— nine inch nails (@nineinchnails) July 30, 2025

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A post shared by Josh Freese (@joshfreese)

Both Freese and Rubin have impressive careers as sessional and permanent drummers.

In addition to his touring with Nine Inch Nails, Rubin is a member of Tom DeLonge’s Angels & Airwaves and has played with Danny Elfman and Paramore. He’s the youngest living inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, receiving the induction as a member of Nine Inch Nails in 2020.

Freese, meanwhile, has been a member of The Vandals, Devo, Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, The Offspring, and Danny Elfman, among others.

In May, Freese was dropped by Foo Fighters as he neared the second anniversary of playing with them. At the time, he claimed “no reason was given”, but three days later, he shared a humorous list of “ten possible reasons” he was let go by the band.

Some of the funniest reasons include “Once whistled My Hero for a week solid on tour” at #10, “Could only name one Fugazi song” at #9, “Metronome-like precision behind the kit deemed ‘soulless’” at #7, “Never even once tried growing a beard” at #5, and referring to his beloved fur babies, “The whole poodle thing was getting a bit much” at #1.