It was shocking news when Slipknot announced in December that they've parted ways with drummer Joey Jordison. Now, it appears as if Jordison himself was the person most shocked by the decision.

In a statement posted late Wednesday night (Jan. 1) on his Facebook page, Jordison made his first public comments since the surprising announcement, insisting he did not quit the band and that he was 'shocked and blindsided' by the decision. Just like Slipknot did in their original statement, Jordison informed fans that he wasn't at liberty to go into detail about his exit from the band at this time, but his revelation does shed a new light on his departure from the group. His full statement reads as follows:

To my fans, friends, and associates...

I would like to start the New Year by addressing the recent rumors and speculation regarding my departure from Slipknot. I want to make it very clear that I DID NOT QUIT SLIPKNOT. This band has been my life for the last 18 years, and I would never abandon it, or my fans. This news has shocked and blindsided me as much as it has all of you. While there is much I would like to say, I must remain silent to further details at this time. I would like to thank you all for your unwavering love and support, and wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year.

As previously reported, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor addressed the issue in his first interview following the announcement of Jordison's departure. "It’s still so fresh and there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes that people don’t know about, so legally and respectfully, I can’t say a lot about it," Taylor told Minneapolis radio station 93X. "I can confirm that we have parted ways with Joey and as soon as we can say something, we will, but we’re trying to protect him, trying to protect us, just making sure that we do everything right because that’s what we would expect from ourselves and what we would expect from the fans."

Stay tuned for more news on Slipknot as the story develops.

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