Matt Cameron has commented on his career status following his recent exit from Pearl Jam – see what the drummer had to say below.
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Earlier this month (July 7), longtime Pearl Jam and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron announced his exit from the Eddie Vedder-led band after 27 years behind the kit. In a statement, he said that he had “taken my final steps down the drum riser for the mighty Pearl Jam,” before thanking the other members of the band for “the opportunity of a lifetime, filled with friendships, artistry, challenges and laughter.”
At the time, Cameron did not address the state of his career, only briefly telling fans that there’d be “more to follow”. Since then, fans have been speculating that the drummer would be retiring from music altogether.
One fan wrote on Reddit: “I feel like he’s gonna retire he’s 62 and he said on a few occasions the 45+ years of drumming is finally catching up with him i think he’s done with music or at least drumming in general”
Now, it seems that Matt Cameron has put all speculation to rest. In a now-expired Instagram Story, he wrote: “Thank you for the kind words of support and for the record, I’m still an active musician.”
#MattCameron https://t.co/Q2UY2MnEWo pic.twitter.com/iI8uXY5vWN
— demetrios (@demetriosns) July 13, 2025
However, what Cameron’s next move will be remains to be seen. Besides Pearl Jam, Cameron has been a longtime drummer in Soundgarden. Soundgarden’s Ben Shepherd recently shared an update on the band’s final album with Chris Cornell, which they had been working on at the time of his death, suggesting that they’re finally back to working on songs from the unreleased project.
Cameron has also been linked to the Foo Fighters following Josh Freese’s abrupt exit in May. Back in 2023, Cameron was rumoured to be joining Foo Fighters to fill in for the late Taylor Hawkins, who died in 2022. He denied the rumours at the time, writing on his Instagram Stories, “FYI the internet rumours are false, I haven’t joined the Foos.”
Cameron previously played with Foo Fighters during the Hawkins tribute show in Los Angeles, and his departure from Pearl Jam has led to further speculation that he’ll be joining on a more permanent basis – the Foos have yet to announce who will be replacing Josh Freese at their upcoming shows.
