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Offspring Drummer Pete Parada Fired From Band After 14 Years Over Refusal To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

(Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images)

Katie Jerkovich Entertainment Reporter
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Offspring drummer Pete Parada has been fired from the band after 14 years following his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine due to a pre-existing medical condition.

“Given my personal medical history and the side-effect profile of these jabs, my doctor has advised me not to get a shot at this time,” the 48-year-old musician shared in lengthy thread on Twitter. The comments were noted by Summit News in a piece published Tuesday. (RELATED: Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins Says He’s Questioning His ‘Future’ In The League Following New COVID-19 Vaccine Rule)

“I caught the virus over a year ago, it was mild for me – so I am confident I’d be able to handle it again, but I’m not so certain I’d survive another post-vaccination round of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which dates back to my childhood and has evolved to be progressively worse over my lifetime,” he added. “Unfortunately for me, (and my family – who is hoping to keep me around a bit longer) the risks far outweigh the benefits.” (RELATED: REPORT: NFL Will Hold Teams Financially Responsible If Unvaccinated Players Cause A Game To Be Canceled)

“Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate – it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour,” Parada continued. “I mention this because you won’t be seeing me at these upcoming shows.”

The longtime drummer explained one of the reasons he decided to go public with this news was so others who were feeling the “agony and isolation” of being left behind didn’t feel alone after not getting the coronavirus vaccine.

He also said he does not “find it ethical or wise to allow those with the most power (government, corporations, organizations, employers) to dictate medical procedures to those with the least power” and noted how there are “countless” others in a similar situation.

“There are countless folks (like me) for whom these shots carry a greater risk than the virus,” Parada shared. “Most of us don’t publicly share a private decision we made in careful consideration with our doctors. We know it’s not an easy conversation to unfold.”