Former Offspring drummer Pete Parada claims he departed the group after the “most abusive and threatening call” from their manager.
The 51-year-old rocker – who has also toured with My Chemical Romance, Devo and The Bronx – was dropped from the ‘Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)’ group in 2021 because he refused to have a COVID-19 vaccine, which he says his doctor advised him against due to suffering from a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome.
The sticksman has now recalled taking a “shocking” phone call from their new manager at the time, in which he allegedly served him the ultimatum of “get vaccinated or be replaced”.
He told the ‘Try That In A Small Town’ podcast: “He was new with the band. He’d only been with them since Covid hit. So I didn’t have a lot of history with this guy.
“He chose to come at me like a flamethrower. I’ve gotten crappy phone calls before, this was the most abusive and threatening call I’ve ever had in my entire career.”
He continued: “He made it clear that I was either to get vaccinated or I’d be replaced.
“The phone call was so shocking.”
Parada – who joined the pop punk band in 2007 – claims he discussed his issues with their manager with his bandmates – including frontman Dexter Holland and guitarist Noodles – but they sided with him over having the vaccine.
He said: “I tried to talk to them about him and I said, ‘You might fire me over this, but you should know, this guy is not representing you well and if he’s treating me like this, he’s treating your crew even worse.’
“I was told, ‘That’s not the concern right now, he’s not the concern, your refusal to do this is the concern.’”
The group – which also includes bassist Todd Morse and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy – replaced Parada with Brandon Pertzborn.
Parada claims that he realised he was fired when his flight to a rehearsal was cancelled.
Announcing his departure from the group, Parada wrote at the time: “I’ve got some unfortunate and difficult news to share. I know many of my close friends and family would’ve preferred to hear this privately first- and I apologize for the public nature of my disclosure, but I don’t know how to have this conversation multiple times.
“Given my personal medical history and the side-effect profile of these jabs, my doctor has advised me not to get a shot at this time. I caught the virus over a year ago, it was mild for me – so I am confident I’d be able to handle it again, but I’m not so certain I’d survive another post-vaccination round of Guillain Barré Syndrome, which dates back to my childhood and has evolved to be progressively worse over my lifetime. Unfortunately for me, (and my family – who is hoping to keep me around a bit longer) the risks far outweigh the benefits.
“Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate – it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour. I mention this because you won’t be seeing me at these upcoming shows. I also want to share my story so that anyone else experiencing the agony and isolation of getting left behind right now – knows they’re not entirely alone (sic).”
He went on to insist that he has no hard feelings towards the band but admitted he was “heartbroken” by the situation.
He said: “I have no negative feelings towards my band. They’re doing what they believe is best for them, while I am doing the same. Wishing the entire Offspring family all the best as they get back at it! I’m heartbroken not to be seeing my road community, and I will miss connecting with the fans more than I can express in words.”