Slipknot guitarist Jim Root is urging listeners not to treat an early report about Sid Wilson’s status as settled fact.
TMZ reported on July 31 that Wilson had been permanently removed from the metal band after approximately 28 years. The outlet cited one unnamed source described as close to Slipknot and possessing direct knowledge of the situation.
Neither Wilson nor Slipknot has publicly confirmed the reported departure.
TMZ Reported That Wilson Was Removed Friday Afternoon
According to TMZ, Wilson was informed late Friday afternoon that he had been permanently removed from Slipknot. TMZ updated its report on August 1 without adding a reason for the alleged dismissal or direct confirmation from Wilson or the band.
Other outlets contacted Slipknot’s representatives but had not received a response when their reports were published. The band’s official channels also had not announced a lineup change.
Jim Root Told Fans to Wait for More Information
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Root appeared to address the growing speculation through an Instagram Story posted shortly after the TMZ report began circulating. “Don’t believe every thing you read. Stop. Think. Take a breath. Sit with it for awhile. Maybe. Just maybe even wait until there’s more information,” he wrote. The Story was accompanied by Slipknot’s song “’Til We Die,” but Root did not mention Wilson, TMZ or the reported firing by name.
Wilson had not issued a public statement confirming that he had resigned, been dismissed or entered into a dispute with the band. Slipknot had also not removed him through a formal announcement or explained whether his reported status could affect future recordings and performances.
Wilson Joined Before Slipknot’s Breakthrough
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Wilson joined Slipknot in 1998 and became known as No. 0 within the masked group. He contributed turntables, samples, keyboards and sound effects to the band’s self-titled 1999 breakthrough and developed one of Slipknot’s most unpredictable live personas.
Wilson subsequently appeared across the band’s studio catalog, including Iowa, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), All Hope Is Gone, .5: The Gray Chapter, We Are Not Your Kind and 2022’s The End, So Far.
Outside Slipknot, he has performed and released music as DJ Starscream and through other solo projects. Wilson was also among the four Slipknot members who created Look Outside Your Window, the long-delayed experimental project recorded during the sessions for All Hope Is Gone and released in 2026.
A Confirmed Exit Would Mark Another Major Lineup Change
If the report is formally confirmed, Wilson’s departure would leave Corey Taylor, Shawn “Clown” Crahan, Mick Thomson and Jim Root as the remaining musicians associated with Slipknot’s late-1990s breakthrough lineup.
Bassist Paul Gray died in 2010, and drummer Joey Jordison died in 2021 after leaving the band years earlier. Percussionist Chris Fehn and sampler Craig Jones also departed, while the group has introduced new musicians without always immediately identifying them publicly.