Pete Townshend Opens Up About The Who's Messy Split from Zak Starkey

Published: June 23, 2025

Pete Townshend, the legendary guitarist of The Who, has spoken candidly about the band's recent split from drummer Zak Starkey, calling it a "mess."

In a new interview with The i Paper, Townshend shared his perspective on the events that led to Starkey's departure from the iconic band after a 29-year run.

"I will miss Zak terribly. But quite what the story is, I don't f------ know. I really don't know," Townshend said, expressing his confusion about the situation.

The drama began in April when Starkey announced his departure from The Who. However, just days later, Townshend walked back the announcement, stating that Starkey was "not being asked" to step down.

Things took another turn in May when the band clarified on Instagram that Starkey was indeed leaving the group. Townshend wrote, "After many years of great work on drums from Zak, the time has come for a change... Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best."

Starkey later shared his side of the story on Instagram, revealing that he was fired two weeks after being reinstated and was asked to make a statement saying he had quit the band to pursue other projects.

Townshend acknowledged the messy situation, saying, "I think [Roger Daltrey] just got lost. Roger's finding it difficult. I have to be careful what I say about Roger because he gets angry if I say anything about him at all."

Despite the drama, Townshend expressed his enthusiasm for The Who's upcoming final American tour, which begins in August. "I don't know whether I've been up for doing anything with The Who since 1973," he joked. "But I am looking forward to it. Not because it's the end, but because I hope that we can continue to explore other things."