“We would like to thank Jay Weinberg for his dedication and passion over the past ten years,” reads an announcement posted on Slipknot’s Instagram account on November 5, 2023.
But as always, Slipknot is keen to evolve. The band made the creative decision to part ways with Jay. We wish Jay the best of luck and are very excited for the future.”
And that was the closest explanation fans received. There was no reason, and I didn’t spill the tea. It was merely a “creative decision” ending a nearly 10-year partnership with the 33-year-old drummer and son of Bruce Springsteen’s percussionist Max Weinberg.
That was just a brief of it all about the band’s decision, but was it Jay Weinberg’s choice to leave the band before this public notice, or was he just kicked off? We will get to know just read on.
When Did Jay Join Slipknot?
Weinberg joined Slipknot in 2014 after the band’s original drummer, Joey Jordison, reportedly left in 2013 due to health issues. For the next year, he continued to perform more or less incognito, wearing a mask, but the band refused to identify him by name until May 2015.
During their time with the group, three full-length albums were released: The Gray Chapter in 2014, We Are Not Your Kind in 2019, and The End So Far in 2022. He also appeared on Slipknot’s live album Day of, from 2017 by Gusano. Slipknot has not yet revealed which Batman’s Rogues Gallery member will play drums next.
Why Did Jay Leave Slipknot?
It wasn’t just Jay’s decision to leave Slipknot. However, the band made the creative decision to part ways with Jay. We wish Jay the best of luck and are very excited for the future. Weinberg’s contribution to Slipknot appears on the band’s 2014 album. 5: “The Gray Chapter,” 2019’s “We Are Not Your Kind,” and 2022’s “The End, So Far.”
Who Quit Before and Why?
Slipknot had a number of previous members, especially when they first started out, but the band “stabilized” in the late ’90s and has had relatively the same lineup ever since.
Despite being in the band for over 20 years, he has said that he was not an important band member, that he had “help,” etc.). That’s why many people take issue with her kicking him and her subsequent treatment of him.
From what we understand, there is little drama surrounding Craig’s departure, as it is still relatively new and appears to have been amicable.
Joey Jordison (original drummer) was fired in 2013, apparently due to a muscular condition that prevented him from playing the drums. It’s not really clear what happened, and unfortunately, he passed away in 2021)
Chris Fehn (original percussionist) sued Corey and Clown in 2019 on the cause of payment being held back. It later came to light that Corey and Clown technically are the owners of Slipknot, which contradicts the whole brotherhood the band always claimed to have
Craig Jones (sampler) parted ways with the band for unknown reasons earlier this year. Given the fact he is known for barely speaking, this is probably all the info we will get
And now Jay, someone who already was a big fan of the band before he joined, someone who, to the fans, filled pretty big shoes, even posted recently about his happiness for upcoming shows “parts ways” with the band because of “creative evolution” leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouths of all fans.
Especially after Mick Thomson (guitarist) ‘s wife said on Instagram that the band is the remaining OG members, and the rest are “just” employees.
What’s the Backstory Here?
We’re not sure what exactly happened with Jay because there’s no more info beyond what the band shared on social media (and then took it down), but it seems like he might have been asked to leave.
Jay was in two other bands before, and when he left, those bands said not-so-nice things about him. But that was a long time ago, about ten years, so he might have changed and become better since then.
“It’s possible that after he was with the band for ten years, he was fired for a big pay cut, but we don’t really know. Why do people go crazy? Even though Jay was one of the new members, he was a fairly popular member.
He’s been a huge fan of the band since he was a kid, and he posts many cool behind-the-scenes things about the band on social media. And he says he’s one of the few members still excited about the band.
I felt that it was. He kept some of the energy of the old Slipknot style alive, but he was also very talented, performed very well live, and seemed to fit in incredibly well with the band.”
Sounds Like a Mystery
Weinberg was named Modern Drummer Magazine’s Metal Drummer of the Year just two months ago and had performed with Slipknot in concert just two days before the announcement, so the motive behind the breakup remains a mystery. It is rare.
Weinberg has not yet released a statement regarding his departure from the band. Fans expressed disappointment and skepticism on social media over the unusually soft language used by the “Weight and Bleed” cast.
