Ex-Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg walks for first time since November surgery

(Image credit: Steve Bright/Avalon/Getty Images)

Former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg has posted a video of him walking unassisted for the first time in nearly two months.

The musician, 33, underwent hip and femur surgery in November and required crutches as he recovered.

Along with the video, Weinberg posted on Instagram yesterday (January 1): “2024 is off and running! Well, walking unassisted…but I’ll take it! Yesterday was my first full day walking without a crutch since my operation in November, and it ruled.

“Stoked to be making steady progress; not just protecting my hip, but now building back strength in the joint, and my leg overall. Taking that as a win — it feels good 👊🏻😎”

Weinberg joined Slipknot in 2013, replacing the late Joey Jordison, and was dismissed from the band on November 5. A statement from Slipknot called the dismissal a “creative decision”, and Weinberg responded with a post saying that he was “heartbroken and blindsided” by the news.

Slipknot percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan elaborated on the reason for Weinberg’s dismissal in a recent NME interview.

“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 Corey Taylor, Mick Thomson, Sid Wilson and Jim Root].”

Weinberg announced he had undergone surgery on Instagram on November 19.

He wrote in part: “This Tuesday, after three years of careful planning, I underwent an outpatient procedure to repair the torn labrum of my left hip and shave down a misshapen part of my femur — a condition that never impacted my drumming in any way, but I’ve wanted to take care of during downtime from my recording and touring schedule.

“Since 2020, my priority has been for my playing to go uninterrupted, until a window in the schedule would allow me to complete an expected recovery of about four months. In May, that schedule started to show that this window would be now.”

Weinberg’s replacement in Slipknot has not yet been announced.

Slipknot are currently being sued by Jordison’s estate, with the suit alleging that the band used the drummer’s 2021 passing to promote their latest album, The End, So Far.

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Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.