The man behind the gas mask – Slipknot’s DJ and keyboardist for 27 years – was out of the band by Friday evening. Sid Wilson learned he had been permanently removed from Slipknot’s lineup on July 31, according to a source with direct knowledge of the band’s internal decision.
The reason for the firing has not been disclosed. Neither Slipknot’s leadership nor Wilson had issued any public statement as of Friday night. TMZ, which first reported the dismissal, cited a source close to the band but confirmed that no official explanation accompanied the notification.
Wilson, known to fans by his performance alias DJ Starscream and his signature gas mask with articulated parts, joined Slipknot in 1999 as one of its nine founding members. He occupied the role of DJ and keyboardist through the band’s entire run – from the self-titled debut that made Iowa metal a major commercial force through every subsequent album. His mask changed with each cycle; the character became one of the most recognizable in a genre built on recognizable characters.
The firing adds Wilson to a list of departures that has steadily reduced the founding lineup over the past 15 years. Bassist Paul Gray died in 2010. Drummer Joey Jordison died in 2021. Percussionist Chris Fehn and keyboardist Craig Jones both departed under circumstances that, in Fehn’s case, involved litigation. Of the nine who formed the band in Des Moines, the active roster has been narrowing for years. Wilson’s exit leaves that count smaller still.
The personal context surrounding the firing includes a difficult stretch for Wilson that predates it. He split from Kelly Osbourne in March 2026 after years together as a couple. Before that, in August 2024, he sustained serious burn injuries that required hospitalization, as Deadline reported, and drew considerable public attention. Neither of those events has been connected to his removal, and sources have indicated his relationship with Osbourne was unrelated to the band’s decision.
What Slipknot’s lineup looks like going forward, and whether Wilson’s role will be filled or restructured, has not been addressed. The band has not said whether scheduled tour commitments remain intact or whether any statement from the remaining members is forthcoming. The silence is notable given that both sides of the split carry significant fanbases who are now waiting for an account of what happened.
Slipknot has continued to perform and record through previous lineup changes without making formal announcements until considerable time had passed. The pattern is consistent with how the band has handled departures before – absorb the transition internally, allow rumor to circulate, and surface publicly only when the next creative chapter is ready to be revealed. Whether that approach holds this time, given Wilson’s foundational role and the years of shared history, is something neither the band nor its management had addressed by the end of Friday.
What Wilson does next is equally unresolved. He built his identity inside Slipknot’s theatrical architecture. The mask, the character, the performance role – all of it existed within that framework. What remains of it outside the band, and whether he pursues anything independently, has not been indicated by anyone close to him.
