Jay Weinberg is taking a reflective — but ultimately positive — view of his decade-long run with SLIPKNOT. While his departure from the band in 2023 came as a shock and remains clouded in unanswered questions, the drummer says he isn’t dwelling on the past or second-guessing how things played out.
In a new appearance on The Garza Podcast, hosted by Chris Garza of SUICIDE SILENCE, Weinberg was asked directly whether he harbors any regrets about his tenure with Slipknot, especially considering the way his exit unfolded in late 2023.
He responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “No, no. Much has been said about it, but I don’t think living with regrets… Your trajectory, it is what it is. And I think as long as you work your hardest, try your best and apply yourself and do things for the right reasons, I think those are the things that lead you from fulfilling moment to fulfilling moment.”
Weinberg went on to explain that his perspective is rooted in accepting change and the unpredictable nature of life.
“I really believe in being in tune with the things that my friends and people who I’ve shared creative spaces with are saying. I saw something recently that a friend of mine said of, like, the only thing that’s consistent in life is impermanence. And if you are comfortable with that, then you stand the chance of continuing your path or whatever is meant for in that sense. And with that in mind, the idea of impermanence and this and that, it’s, like, no, I don’t regret any of these things.”
Weinberg’s comments come as he continues to process the abrupt ending of his decade-long run with SLIPKNOT, which came just days after what would unknowingly become his final performance with the band on November 3, 2023, at the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in Toluca, Mexico.
In a separate, in-depth interview with Rolling Stone journalist Andy Greene earlier this month, Weinberg opened up about the moment he learned he was no longer part of the group — a moment he says still leaves him searching for answers.
“I woke up the morning after traveling home from our last show together, and I received a phone call from the band’s manager in which he informed me that the band had made a decision to not renew my contract at the end of the year. I was shocked and full of questions. I was like, ‘Why? What happened?’” he said.
Weinberg went on to describe the timing of the decision as particularly difficult, pointing to internal tensions within the group.
“It took place, to be quite honest, at the end of a year that was a very difficult year within the band,” Jay continued. “That might relate to some of those preexisting tensions before I arrived at the band, sort of coming back. But I’m left with no explanation, just that ‘It’s a creative decision and you’re no longer the drummer in SLIPKNOT.’ And what he said from there was, ‘We would like to release a joint statement with you tomorrow. Take the rest of the day to think about it. I’ll be available to you for the rest of the day if you want to talk.’”
“My world just kind of bottomed out from under me,” Weinberg added. “This thing that I have been dedicated to with complete focus and drive and attention and love and holding on to a dream, despite the difficulties, despite all the things that happen with entering a volatile environment like that and a dark environment at that, to having nothing but questions. So I went on a walk with my wife to clear my head and process what had just happened. And then 20 minutes later, they posted their own statement online.”
Looking back, the drummer says the lack of clarity still weighs on him.
When asked how he felt about that, Jay responded: “I mean, how would anybody feel about that? It perfectly encapsulates the confusion of that. And like I said, it came after an extraordinarily tense year for the band, things that I could only see as an outsider in relationships that are 25 years deep. It came without an explanation, [with] no reason. It was confusing then. If I’m perfectly honest, it remains confusing.”
Weinberg also suggested that navigating long-standing dynamics within the band may have played a role in his exit.
“As a newcomer, I think being caught in between those preexisting tensions, you find yourself trying to navigate that the best you can,” he said. “One guy has one way he wants things done, another guy wants another way he wants things done, and amplify that by eight other people, to try to satisfy all of those things. This was my singular focus for 10 years. I applied myself in every way possible. As a newcomer, and like you mentioned, you’re like, ‘Are you in the band? Are you not in the band?’ How do you define that after 10 years? It’s not a short amount of time. But it’s easy for a newcomer, for myself, to be caught in the crossfire there. Maybe I became a scapegoat for certain things.”
On November 5, 2023, SLIPKNOT issued a statement citing a “creative decision” as the reason for parting ways with Weinberg, who had joined the band in 2013 as the replacement for late founding drummer Joey Jordison. Six days later, Weinberg shared on Instagram that he “was heartbroken and blindsided to receive the phone call”, “the news of which, most of you learned shortly after.”
In the months that followed, M. Shawn Crahan (Clown) addressed the situation in multiple interviews, reinforcing the band’s stance that the split was not personal. Speaking in March 2024 with NME, he said: “I’m very excited about this idea of a new drummer. There’s many reasons for it. It’s not to be confused. It doesn’t matter what the situation may seem like. Unless you’re in the band and understand — there’s no hard feelings; there never was. We just went our way. There was really no bad things. That’s as much as I can say.
“What I can say is SLIPKNOT decided to move on, and that’s what we’ve done,” Crahan continued. “And I’m very excited for what we have done. And we’re really working hard. And there’ll be new music, there’ll be new masks, there’ll be new people, there’ll be new ideas, celebrating a 25-year anniversary. I would imagine there’d be some shows. It can be 200 people, 500 people, 700 people, 2,000 people.”
He also clarified in a December 2023 interview that Weinberg’s departure was not voluntary.
“As far as Jay goes, what people need to know is Jay did not leave the band, and what I want to say is that we’re moving on,” he said. “Like the statement said, we’re choosing to do something different. This space that we’re at right now is a very, very special space, thought about and generated mostly by the OGs [longstanding members Crahan, Corey Taylor, Mick Thomson, Sid Wilson and Jim Root].”
In February 2024, SLIPKNOT brought in former SEPULTURA drummer Eloy Casagrande to replace Jay.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.