Slipknot Confirms Sid Wilson's Exit After Nearly 28 Years
Slipknot confirmed on Friday, August 14, 2026 that keyboardist and turntablist Sid Wilson is no longer part of the band, closing out a relationship that stretched back nearly 28 years. The statement was posted to the official Instagram of Knotfest, the festival the band launched in 2012, saying Slipknot will "no longer be associated with Sid Wilson" and wishing him well. According to NME, it's the band's first official comment after weeks of speculation.
From rumor to confirmation
Wilson, known within the band by his number, No. 0, joined Slipknot in 1998, just before the band's self-titled debut broke them into the mainstream. He had continued to introduce himself publicly as a current member.
TMZ first reported in late July that Wilson was on his way out, without giving a reason. As the story spread, guitarist Jim Root posted an Instagram story urging fans not to jump to conclusions, writing "Don't believe everything you read." The band's official statement landed roughly two weeks after that post.
A pattern of lineup changes
This isn't the band's only recent personnel shake-up. Longtime percussionist Chris Fehn left in 2019 amid a lawsuit against the band alleging he hadn't been fairly compensated for more than two decades of recording work. Craig Jones, who joined in 1996, departed in 2023, and the band parted ways with drummer Jay Weinberg the same year, citing creative decisions, with Eloy Casagrande taking over on drums.
Slipknot's last studio album was 2022's The End, So Far, and the band has since focused mainly on touring for the 25th anniversary of its self-titled debut. Member Shawn 'Clown' Crahan told NME last December that the long-shelved project Look Outside Your Window had been handed to the band's management team for its final stages.
Sid Wilson's own path
Wilson launched his own label, Vomit Face Records, last year, signing a stylistically varied roster including J57, DEAD X HEDS, Rome Fortune, Ricardo Grimm, and Mars Black, describing the project at the time as "tearing down the walls."
On the personal side, Wilson began dating Kelly Osbourne in 2022, welcomed a son, Sidney, the same year, and got engaged backstage in July 2025 after Black Sabbath's final show, Back To The Beginning, in Birmingham. According to People, the two called off the engagement in March 2026. Osbourne has recently posted and deleted several Instagram posts making unnamed demands for child support responsibility.