Why Josh & Zac Farro Left Paramore (& Why Only Zac Returned)

The history of Paramore as a band is an interesting, yet tumultuous one. In the small town of Franklin, Tennessee, Paramore was originally conceived by teenagers Hayley Williams (lead singer), Jeremy Davis (bassist), and brothers Josh and Zac Farro (backup vocalist/lead guitar and bass guitar, respectively) in 2004. Their rise was meteoric following “Misery Business” and the band has never looked back since, even if it has evolved in time.

In that time, Zac and Josh Farro would exit Paramore, but that’s not even the most interesting part. Bandmates come and go all the time. It’s a part of the natural evolution of any band. What’s most interesting is that while Josh has continued to stay away from the band, Zac Farro has since returned to Paramore.

It’s rare to see band members return to the band they left years after, but to see one brother return while the other hasn’t is the real headscratcher. To understand why, readers must first understand why they left Paramore in the first place.

Josh & Zac Farro’s Paramore Exit Explained

Internal Conflict Tore The Original Line-Up Apart

In December 2010, Paramore released a now-deleted blog statement announcing the Farros’ exit, stating that the two hadn’t been happy for the past year so, while not shocked, they wanted the brothers to go where they’d be happy. On December 21, Josh responded with a statement on behalf of himself and his brother via his blog. The statement starts with tension, as Josh suggests their statement was hastily released in response to Hayley’s statement, which was released “without my permission. We were not going to issue a statement until we worked out our exit agreement with Hayley. I wish it didn’t have to happen that way.”

Josh continues, stating that internal issues with Paramore started all the way back when they were performing out of their garage in high school, saying that’s when the band became all about Hayley. He claimed that every move they’d make as a band was controlled by Hayley’s manager and parents. Hayley was initially pressured by her manager and parents to go solo, until her label decided to let Hayley be in a band with the Farros, but not their friends Taylor and Jason who were in the band before Hayley’s arrival.

In addition to pressures from Hayley’s team (including a father who constantly threatened to “pull the plug” on the band), the Farros’ final straw would be their work on their album, Brand New Eyes, which caused in-fighting due to Hayley writing lyrics that contradicted the brothers’ religious views. The song “Careful” was used as an example, saying lines like “the truth never set me free” directly contradict what is said in The Bible. In addition, the brothers wanted to spare the stress that being away on tour was putting on their parents.

Why Zac Farro Returned to Paramore

Zac Held Less Animosity Than His Brother

Judging from Josh’s statement, while both he and his brother agreed to leave the band, there appeared to be more disdain on Josh’s behalf than Zac’s, especially considering that Josh continued to take jabs at Paramore while Zac remained silent. It’s worth noting that in his aforementioned statement, Josh confirms that himself and Hayley Williams did previously date, stating that things “went downhill” in reference to his stance with the band after they broke up while touring for their breakout Riot! album.

It’s also worth noting that in a tweet, Zac admits he did not follow know or “condone” what Josh said on his behalf in their shared 2010 statement. Since issues weren’t as personal for Zac, it made it easier for Zac to mend fences with Paramore. In 2017, Zac Farro returned to perform drum duties for Paramore on their fifth album, After Laughter, remaining a full-time member to this day. When Paramore sat down with Zane Lowe at Beats 1 Radio for an interview, Zac had this to say:

I had this moment, after leaving the band, walking to my mailbox, and I had no identity anymore. I was just a person. It was kind of a freeing thing—the thing that I thought I wanted. But it was this really uncomfortable feeling. Not that I care about fame or being in a cool band. I’ve never cared about that in my whole life. But it was something we did. This is our occupation. We live and breathe music, and I was like, ‘I don’t have that anymore.’ When he [Taylor] asked that [to join the band again], I was taken back because I was so thankful and didn’t expect that. It was also, on the flipside of that, it was a really heavy decision, in the first place, that I left. It was even just a rad thing that we were hanging out, and I was being able to play on the record, so I wanted to make a really smart and adult decision about it. I took a week. I already knew that I wanted to do it.

I knew it then when we talked to you [Lowe] on the couch, I knew it when we first started, I know it now, I’ve obviously missed the six years I was out of it, but I’ve seen a lot of this—there was only one record that I didn’t play on and that was self-titled—I saw a lot of it, and the thing that drew me back the most, and the most immediate yes, was getting to spend time with Hayley and Taylor everyday.

Zac was personally asked by Paramore’s lead guitarist Taylor York to re-join the band. After six years, the biggest selling point for Zac was being with old friends again.

What Has Josh Farro Done Since Leaving Paramore?

He’s Now More of a Family Man Than a Musician

Just a couple of months after disbanding from Paramore – on February 2, 2011, to be exact – Josh Farro unveiled new social media accounts for Novel American, revealing his new band. Josh would serve as lead guitarist, working with former childhood band friends, Van Beasley, Tyler Ward (whose role on the drums would quickly be replaced by Josh’s brother, Zac), and Ryan Clark. Within a month later, Van quit the band, citing creative differences. While they announced plans to drop an EP upon their inception, Novel American would never release a project before disbanding completely in 2014.

Instead, Josh Farro went solo, and by 2016, he released his debut album, Walkways, as Farro. In 2017, he announced he had begun work on his sophomore project, but there have been no updates since then. Although, while Zac was focused on After Laughter and Paramore’s preceding tour, Josh was having a daughter in 2018 with wife Jenna Rice. The couple would have their second child, a son, in 2020. In 2022, he served as a guest for the gospel band The Church Will Sing’s record, “Name Above the Grave.”

Who Else Has Left Paramore?

Where Are They Now?

While the drama between Josh and Zac Farro with Paramore has been the most documented of Paramore’s breakups, they weren’t the only members to leave the band. Jason Bynum, the band’s first rhythm guitarist brought in by Hayley Williams during their humble beginnings, left the band due to personal reasons, and was replaced by Hunter Lamb in late 2005. Hunter, meanwhile, himself left in 2007 to focus on getting married and becoming a family man, and was soon being replaced by Taylor York.

Before touring for All We Know is Falling, Paramore’s debut album, they brought in John Hembree on bass, who left the band months later for personal reasons. Davis, meanwhile, had come and gone from the band on two separate occasions, both of which were credited as for personal reasons. However,some have speculated that his second 2015 exit could be related to a 2016 lawsuit revolving around royalties and songwriting credits he believed he was owed. Currently, Zac Farro, Taylor York, and Hayley Williams are the remaining members of Paramore.

Source: Tetelestai (via Web Archive), X