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 announced he had been abruptly sacked from the band after two years in an Instagram post – after being tipped to permanently replace the late Taylor Hawkins in the iconic rock band.

He wrote: ‘The Foo Fighters called me Monday night to let me know they’ve decided ‘to go in a different direction with their drummer.’ 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.

‘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. 

‘But as most of you know I’ve always worked freelance and bounced between bands so, I’m fine. Stay tuned 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 – pictured Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffee, Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Josh Freese and Pat Smear at Glastonbury in 2023

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.

DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for the Foo Fighters for comment.

Freese, 52, officially joined the band in May 2023 after the shock death of longtime drummer Hawkins at 50 in 2022. 

He performed countless huge gigs with the band – whose current line-up is Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffee, frontman Grohl, Nate Mendel and Pat Smear – including headlining the 2023 Glastonbury music festival.

In 2022, Freese played with Foo Fighters for the first time at Hawkins’ tribute concerts in London and Los Angeles, playing on the late drummer’s own kit.

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

He has also written and co-written a number of songs, including credits with Queens of the Stone Age, the Vandals, A Perfect Circle, Dwarves, Goon Moon, Devo, and Sting.

The Foo Fighters last publicly performed in August 2024, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. They are next set to perform on October 4 at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Hawkins pᴀssed 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 Grohl, 56.

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 H๏τel and subsequently pᴀssed 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.

 Freese said he was ‘shocked and disappointed’ to be let go – pictured 2022 performing with The Vandals

Rockers including Mike Portnoy and Wolf Van Halen reacted with disbelief

Hawkins, pᴀssed 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 – the Grammy Award-winning band made the news known to the public during their Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts livestream

Fans were left furious over the ‘bizarre move’ to sack Freese

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 

Young is an LA based, Florida-born rock and roll fan; Jennifer pictured

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

A pair of star-studded tribute concerts took place at Wembley Stadium in London and at the Kia Forum in Inglewood.

Both Freese and Hawkins’ son, Oliver Shane, now 18, were on drums during the first performance.

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. 

Read More Dave Grohl’s wife Jordyn Blum makes MAJOR decision over their marriage after baby bombshell

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 share 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.

Hawkins is pictured performing in 2005

A source told US Weekly in March the couple are giving their 22 year marriage another go.

They said: ‘Jordyn has forgiven Dave and is trying to move on. She is [still] completely devastated by the situation but is standing by his side.

‘They are going to counseling, and Dave has been doing anything he can to win back Jordyn’s trust. Neither of them wants the family broken.’

DailyMail.com contacted representatives for further comment.