Ilan Rubin Foo Fighters: No Drummer Swap With NIN

*Ilan Rubin sits in with the 8G Band on February 4, 2020. (Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)*

Ilan Rubin, Foo Fighters drummer says the widely reported "drummer swap" narrative between him and Josh Freese is not how it happened. When Rubin joined Foo Fighters, and Freese returned to Nine Inch Nails in 2025, many observers framed it as a deliberate trade between Dave Grohl and Trent Reznor — but Rubin pushes back on that idea entirely.

"When the news leaked … it was kind of billed as this drummer swap," Rubin said on the Go with Elmo Lovano podcast. "Now that would imply that Trent and Dave were like, 'Hey, you know what would be a great idea?' … Which is the dumbest thing?"

Rubin had played with Nine Inch Nails for over a decade before joining Foo Fighters. Freese, who joined Foo Fighters in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins, had previously played drums in NIN from 2005 to 2008.

According to Rubin, the sequence of events was straightforward. Freese departed Foo Fighters, the band needed a drummer with shows approaching, and Rubin was contacted. NIN then needed to fill its own vacancy.

"At some point in time, for whatever reason, Josh was no longer with Foo Fighters," Rubin said. "They dealt with whatever they dealt with, they needed a drummer, and whenever it was getting a little too close for comfort in terms of shows that were coming up in a few months, I was gotten in touch with them. As a result of me taking that opportunity, obviously Nine Inch Nails needed a drummer."

Rubin also addressed concerns that he abandoned NIN without warning. "The only thing that kind of really bothered me at the time when that news leaked was that it kinda gave the impression that I just kinda said, 'Oh, this came up, I'm out of here, have fun guys,' which was not the case at all."

Content for this summary was derived from original reporting by ABC Audio, as featured on 105.7 The Point