In 2021, Pete Parada was released from his role as the Offspring’s drummer after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine for medical reasons. A year after the announcement, he has taken to social media to expand on his decision to push back against “the mainstream global narrative/response to the virus.”

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When Parada’s departure from the Offspring first made the news, the drummer revealed that a doctor had advised him against getting the shot because he has a rare autoimmune disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome. The condition, which involves a person’s immune system damaging their nerves, got “progressively worse” over his lifetime, and this was perhaps why he was reluctant to get vaccinated. He also stated he would be able to handle the coronavirus since he had already contracted it once before. He added that he understood that he was unsafe to be around and that he held no “no negative feelings towards my band.”

Photo Credit: Marisa Rose Ficara