Foo Fighters’ Josh Freese Joins Nine Inch Nails, Nine Inch Nails’ Ilan Rubin Joins Foo Fighters

“Foo Fighters – Josh Freese portrait” by Sven Mandel is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The latest shake up of drummageddon–2025’s mass exodus of backbeats from bands like               Primus, The Who and Umphrey’s McGee–is a proper trade between Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails. Yesterday, July 30, Ilan Rubin jumped ship from the latter to join the former, while the former’s former member Josh Freese signed on to return to his previous posting in the latter. Through a roundabout process, both massive rock acts have been made whole by storied instrumentalists.

Rubin joined the Foo Fighters on Wednesday after a long and lauded period as the touring drummer for Nine Inch Nails, a seat which he filled in 2009 after Freese’s departure. In the years since, he’s become the longest-running percussionist for the industrial rock project by permanent members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, as well as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s youngest inductee following his entry as a member of the group in 2020. Outside of NIN, he’s worked with Paramore and continues to perform with Angels & Airwaves and Danny Elfman, the latter seat was formerly filled by Freese.

Freese’s departure from Foo Fighters was announced in May, when the drummer wrote, “The Foo Fighters called me Monday night to let me know they’ve decided ‘to go in a different direction with their drummer,’” Freese wrote. “No reason was given. 🙁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.”

He originally joined the band on May 21, 2023, taking the place of the band’s 25-year drummer Taylor Hawkins after his tragic passing in 2022. His impressive resume includes stints with The Vandals and A Perfect Circle, who he recently supported on the Sessanta Vol. 2 tour, as well as serious session work on recordings by bands like Paramore, Weezer, The Replacements, Guns N’ Roses and many more. He served as the touring drummer for Nine Inch Nails from 2005 to 2008, after which he left to spend more time with his growing family. The band confirmed his return by posting a photo of the drummer, captioned, “Let’s fucking go.”

“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,” Freese wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”

Nine Inch Nails will return to the road on Aug. 6 for the North American leg of their Peel It Back Tour. Foo Fighters have five international dates slated in October and November. Find tickets and more information on each at nin.com and foofighters.com. Read Freese’s full statement below.