10 Bands Who Were BETRAYED by One Band Member

10 Bands Who Were BETRAYED By One Member
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today were taking a look at bands that had the world at their feet until one member pulled the rug out from under them.
Tom DeLonge
Blink-182
These Californian giants of pop-punk hit it big in the late 90s, racking up hits and cultivating a devoted fan base with their cheeky songwriting and airtight musicianship. But by the early 2000s, tensions were boiling just beneath the surface, particularly between guitarist Tom DeLonge and his bandmates, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker. Fed up with the bands relentless touring schedule and feeling creatively stifled, DeLonge quietly began plotting his exit. When Blink-182 went on indefinite hiatus in 2005, it quickly became clear that it wasnt a break it was a breakup. DeLonge stepped out, blindsiding fans and bandmates alike, and immediately launched his new project, Angels & Airwaves. He would eventually return to the band - twice - even making new music and touring together starting in 2022.
Joe Perry
Aerosmith
At the height of their fame, Aerosmiths Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were dubbed the Toxic Twins a nickname that hinted at the substance-fueled chaos brewing behind the scenes. By the late 70s, personal tensions and substance abuse had pushed the band to the brink. The bubbling chaos spilled over in 1979, when a heated backstage blowout between Tyler and Perry led the guitarist to storm off mid-tour. But the real sting came in the studio: Aerosmith had been in the middle of recording their sixth album, Night in the Ruts, when Perry pulled his songs and repurposed them for his own solo debut. For the rest of the band, it wasnt just a departure it felt like desertion.
Jimmy Chamberlin
The Smashing Pumpkins
Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin didnt exactly hit it off with frontman Billy Corgan at first. In fact, by his own admission, the band sounded atrocious before he joined. But Chamberlins powerful playing helped launch them to alt-rock superstardom. Unfortunately, his substance use disorder quickly became a ticking time bomb. The band had tried to manage it quietly, but everything came crashing down in 1996, when Chamberlin and touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin overdosed on heroin. Melvoin died, and the Pumpkins swiftly fired Chamberlin. In their public statement, the betrayal was clear: We have battled with Jimmy's struggles with the insidious disease of drug and alcohol addiction. It has nearly destroyed everything we are and stand for.
Zack de la Rocha
Rage Against the Machine
These relentless rap-rock provocateurs have broken up and reunited more times than fans can count, but their first implosion can be traced directly to the acrimonious exit of frontman Zack de la Rocha. Increasingly dissatisfied with the bands musical and political direction, de la Rocha clashed constantly with his bandmates. Guitarist Tom Morello later recalled, We would even have fist fights over whether our T-shirts should be mauve or camouflaged! In October 2000, with no warning to fans and reportedly little to his bandmates, de la Rocha walked, declaring: Our decision-making process has completely failed. The move blindsided the group and effectively ended Rage Against the Machine at least for a while.
Johnny Marr
The Smiths
The animosity between these indie rock legends is the stuff of music history and both Morrissey and Johnny Marr have made it crystal clear that a Smiths reunion is never, ever happening. The bands unraveling was almost complete by June 1987, when Marr took a break that his bandmates saw as a sign of wavering commitment and disloyalty. But things went nuclear the next month, when a blistering NME article titled Smiths to Split hit newsstands. Believing Morrissey had leaked the story to push him out, Marr abruptly quit. Whether or not the rumor was true, the damage was done, and for Marr, the betrayal was personal enough to permanently solidify the split.
David Lee Roth
Van Halen
For a band named after its guitarist, lead singer David Lee Roth sure acted like Van Halen was his kingdom. After all, to hear Roth tell it, he was the one who suggested renaming the band from Mammoth. After skyrocketing to fame with their 1978 debut, tensions quickly simmered between Roth and Eddie Van Halen driven by clashing creative visions. Roth wanted mainstream pop appeal; Eddie leaned into technical complexity and musical experimentation. By 1985, Roth had had enough, and without warning, he jumped ship to launch a solo career. The band was left reeling, blindsided by his exit. It wasnt the end of Van Halen, but it was the end of that Van Halen.
Lindsey Buckingham
Fleetwood Mac
If you know anything about Fleetwood Mac, you know their music was powered by personal drama. Nowhere was that more volatile than the relationship between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. While their romantic fallout famously fueled the bands biggest hits, behind the scenes, Buckinghams growing sense of creative ownership alienated his bandmates, who increasingly saw him as domineering and difficult. In 1987, things exploded during a physical confrontation with Nicks, after which Buckingham abruptly quit the band on the eve of a major tour. It left the rest of Fleetwood Mac scrambling to fill the void he left behind.
Noel Gallagher
Oasis
The Gallagher brothers had been at each others throats for years, but Oasis finally imploded in 2009. And thats not with a bang, but with a backstage brawl. Tensions boiled over when the band canceled their headlining slot at the V Festival, prompting a public war of words. Noel claimed Liam had been too hungover to perform; Liam shot back that he had laryngitis and even sued his brother for defamation. Noel left the band for good, leaving fans, and his own bandmates, blindsided. For many, it wasnt just another fight: it was the ultimate betrayal. The Gallagher brothers would publicly (and rather memorably) trade insults before announcing a reunion tour in 2024, set for the following year.
Don Felder
Eagles
These 70s stalwarts were masters of soft rock, but the simmering internal friction behind the scenes belied their easygoing sound. At the center of the unrest was guitarist Don Felder, whose mounting resentment toward bandleaders Don Henley and Glenn Frey slowly poisoned the well. Their final performance before breaking up sealed Felders status as a saboteur in the eyes of his bandmates. The occasion? A 1980 benefit concert for California Senator Alan Cranston, one Felder clearly wanted no part of. On stage, Frey and Felder spent the entire set trading glares and muttering threats between songs. By nights end, the Eagles were done, not with a farewell, but a fistfight waiting to happen.
Paul McCartney
The Beatles
For a group that preached peace and unity, the Beatles sure didnt end things on a high note. While tensions had been simmering for some time, it was Paul McCartney who drove the final wedge not with a press conference, but with a secret. Behind his bandmates backs, McCartney quietly recorded his debut solo album, playing nearly every instrument himself. Then, in a move that stunned the others, he demanded to release it just as Let It Be, the Beatles final album, was hitting shelves. When the rest of the Fab Four pushed back, he forced it through anyway. To make matters worse, the accompanying press materials made it sound like he had quit the band, stealing the spotlight from John Lennon.
Which band betrayal hit you the hardest? Are there any we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!