Ivan Moody Addresses Motograter Reunion Rumors in Video Statement

After recent rumors fueled speculation that Ivan Moody might be returning to his former band Motograter, the Five Finger Death Punch has posted a lengthy explanation to his Instagram account as to what is happening with his former group and how he’s helping to solidify their future.

The news started to spread over this past week when a former member of Motograter, Michael “The Kidd” Stewart, revealed in a since deleted post on social media that Moody was reuniting with his former band. But the rumors of his return to the band were not true although Moody revealed in a new video on his Instagram Story that he did recently meet up with some of his former bandmates and did make a move that will impact their musical future.

What Is Really Happening With Ivan Moody and Motograter?

Between Stewart’s tease about Ivan’s return and the Five Finger Death Punch singer recently sharing some photos on social media with some of his old Motograter bandmates, the speculation had been ramping up about his potential return to the group. But as Moody now shares, that’s not what was going on.

Though Moody has found success with Five Finger Death Punch, Motograter has long remained close to his heart as that is where his career started to take off. In his posting, he essentially breaks down how he was not happy with the direction of the group after he left and decided to purchase their trademark to make sure that the band’s legacy could not be abused or misused.

Taking things a step further, he then gave the trademark to drummer Chris “Crispy” Binns who he entrusted with keeping the band going moving forward.

As for some of the recent photos, they came as a result of Moody meeting with former Motograter associates for his birthday and he also had taken an interest in the band’s Noah “Shark” Robertson who had helped carry the spirit of the band through the years after his exit. Though they hadn’t met in person, Moody was discussing the possibility of producing a record with Robertson and discussing Motograter’s future.

“Through the years I’ve watched, the last two decades I’ve watched that project whittle out into dust on a memory. And it hurt. And knowing that there was so much involved with that and the way that there was so much potential and it was X’d out,” said Moody at one point.

“When [Noah and I] started talking, it became very evident to me that there was a lot of people in play. And there was a lot of crap, man. So I decided to buy it. And that’s what I did. I bought the trademark for Motograter and the Machine. And I patented it, the whole spiel. That way, nobody could take it anymore and it couldn’t be abused or misused,” said Moody.

What Did Ivan Moody Do With the Motograter Trademark?

Given that Five Finger Death Punch is his primary obligation, Moody decided to put Motograter in the hands of someone he trusted with their legacy moving forward.

“There were just a lot of fingers being pulled in different directions and again it just dissipated. I wanted to make sure that Moto got the legacy that it deserves,,” said Moody. “So what I did was I decided to give the original trademark to the original drummer Chris Binns, better known as Crispy, because he is the most undercredited and underrated player of Motograter. He kept that band together from Day 1.”

“it was really his band anyway,” he added. “He was the driving force behind it. And for all intents and purposes, he and Joey [Krzywonski] were really the heart of the band itself.”

Moody reiterated that he won’t be the singer for Motograter moving forward, but did reveal that he had spoken to Crispy about potentially doing a song. He added that his Ghost Ship Records company would also likely provide someone from their staff to help produce a record moving forward.

“Motograter belongs to Chris Binns and Joey and may the two of them have their way with it. Joey created the grater and Chris created the heartbeat, so as far as I’m concerned, it belongs to them and it’s in good hands and I don’t regret a minute of it,” said Moody.

What About the Original Reunion Rumor?

Moody was none too thrilled with Michael “The Kidd” Stewart, who prompted all the recent reunion talk with his posting.

“First and foremost, to Michael “The Kidd” Stewart,” you bottom-feeding bubbleheaded boob. How dare you step on my toes, spreading rumors and causing commotion,” the singer said at the top of the video.

Later he would add, “I was so pissed off when I read all that man. This Michael fucking Stewart guy. Who the fuck do you think you are dude? Fucking peon.” Moody reveals that he would have preferred to reveal the news on his own timeline, but because the speculation had ramped up he felt the need to address it now.

UPDATE: After this article was published, Moody’s aforementioned video post was deleted.

What About Five Finger Death Punch?

Everything remains as solid as ever for Five Finger Death Punch. The band just announced a massive 20th anniversary tour earlier this week and Moody in particular addressed founding guitarist Zoltan Bathory in the video about looking forward to all the touring ahead.

READ MORE: Zoltan Bathory Reflect on Early Days of Five Finger Death Punch

Dates and ticketing information for all Five Finger Death Punch shows can be found through their website.

And to see other bands touring in 2026, be sure to check out the gallery below.