Trent Reznor on What Really Went Down with Josh Freese’s Return to Nine Inch Nails

One of the year’s more peculiar rock headlines was Nine Inch nails and Foo Fighters essentially trading drummers, but as Trent Reznor points out, there was a lot more to the story. In an interview with Consequence, the NIN frontman broke down the timeline of events that led to Ilan Rubin‘s departure from the industrial band, and Josh Freese‘s return.

At the end of July, reports surfaced that Rubin left nine Inch Nails to join Foo Fighters, with NIN immediately announcing the return of Josh Freese as his replacement. Freese, who previously played with NIN from 2005 to 2008, was released from Foo Fighters earlier this year after joining Dave Grohl’s band in 2023.

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In our new interview feature naming Nine Inch Nails our 2025 Live Act of the Year for their stunning “Peel It Back” tour, Reznor told us what really went down behind the scenes, including his decision to let Rubin go from NIN prior to the…