Did Kelly Osbourne just unmask Slipknot’s mystery keyboardist?

Kelly Osbourne and Slipknot's unknown member in 2024

(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images | Jonathan Weiner)

Kelly Osbourne has seemingly unmasked Slipknot’s anonymous keyboard player.

The TV personality, daughter of Ozzy Osbourne and partner of Slipknot DJ Sid Wilson, made the potential slip-up in her social media stories. This week, she shared a photo of Slipknot singer Corey Taylor and her son Sidney together, but behind them is a man in Slipknot overalls that doesn’t resemble the other known members of the band.

Internet sleuths have speculated that the mystery man is the nine-piece’s sampler and keyboardist, who replaced longtime member Craig “133” Jones last year. Slipknot have never confirmed the identity of the musician, but it was speculated to initially be Zac Baird, formerly of Ghost and Korn.

Then, in April, the band uploaded a photo of the member to their website which had the file name “Jeff”. Fans took this as a sign that the musician was actually Jeff Karnowski, who formerly played with Slipknot percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan in alt-rock side-project Dirty Little Rabbits. The Osbourne photo has only furthered speculation that Karnowski is the mystery member.

If the rumours are true, Karnowski wouldn’t be the first former Dirty Little Rabbits member to join Slipknot. Michael Pfaff played keyboards in Dirty Little Rabbits and joined Slipknot as a custom percussionist in 2021, replacing Chris Fehn. Pfaff’s identity wasn’t confirmed by the band for some time, and the appearance of his mask led to him receiving the nickname ‘Tortilla Man’ from fans.

Earlier this year, former Sepultura drummer Eloy Casagrande joined Slipknot, replacing Jay Weinberg. The 33-year-old abruptly left his former band to pursue the role and was officially named as Slipknot’s new drummer in April.

Slipknot are currently touring North America and playing their self-titled debut album in full at each show to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The band will play across Europe in December. See the full list of dates below.

Corey Taylor gives mask to a child, with an unmasked Slipknot member behind — (Image credit: Kelly Osbourne/Instagram via The PRP)

Slipknot 2024 tour dates:

Sep 07: Auburn White River Amphitheatre, WA
Sep 08: Ridgefield RV Inn Styles Resorts Amphitheater, WA
Sep 09: Louisville Louder Than Life, KY
Sep 11: Nampa Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, ID
Sep 13: Inglewood Intuit Dome, CA
Sep 15: Phoenix Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, AZ
Sep 17: Austin Moody Center, TX
Sep 18: Dallas Dos Equis Pavilion, TX
Sep 21: Des Moines Water Works Park, IA
Oct 11: Sacramento Aftershock Festival, CA
Oct 19: São Paulo Knotfest Brasil, Brazil
Nov 08: Guadalajara Calle 2, Mexico
Nov 09: Mexico City Parque Bicentenario, Mexico

Dec 05: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Dec 06: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Dec 08: Stuttgart Schleyerhalle, Germany
Dec 09: Leipzig Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Germany
Dec 11: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Dec 12: Paris Accorhotel Arena, France
Dec 14: Leeds First Direct Arena, UK
Dec 15: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Dec 17: Manchester Co-op Live Arena, UK
Dec 18: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK
Dec 20: London O2 Arena, UK
Dec 21: London O2 Arena, UK

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.