Photo: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Zak Starkey says he’s still unclear about how his long-running role with The Who came to an end — but he insists there’s no lingering resentment toward his former bandmates.
Starkey was initially dismissed by the band in April 2025, following a London show that sparked rumors singer Roger Daltrey struggled to hear himself over the drums. Guitarist Pete Townshend later suggested the decision had been reversed, only for Starkey to be told again soon after that he was out.
Reflecting on the situation in a recent radio interview with Q1043 New York, Starkey said the back-and-forth left him baffled.
“It was pretty confusing,” he admitted. “And I think they’re still confused. I’m still confused.”
Despite the turbulence, Starkey emphasized that personal relationships were never damaged.
“We never actually became enemies or anything,” he said, noting that he and Daltrey are still in touch.
The drummer also revealed that the uncertainty surrounding his status ultimately cost him a chance to join Oasis on their reunion tour — a missed opportunity that came as an unintended consequence of the prolonged situation.
Still, Starkey said he refuses to let the ending overshadow nearly three decades with The Who.
“I was in the band 29 years,” he said. “I wouldn’t bury a friendship over it. It’s just band business.”
Having worked with Daltrey since his teens and shared a deep history with late bassist John Entwistle, Starkey said he holds no grudges — even if he wishes things had wrapped up differently.
Source: Ultimate Classic Rock
