David Ellefson spoke again about his departure from Megadeth during a recent interview. The musician left the band in 2021 following a sexual scandal.
During a conversation with the Spanish website The Metal Circus , Ellefson said that he didn't choose to leave Megadeth and "of course he's not angry about the past." He also said he considers himself an "ambassador" for the group due to his long history as a bassist.
“I think I’m being very respectful about it, despite how my dismissal was handled,” he said [transcript via Blabbermouth ]. “I think I went above and beyond being respectful.”
Ellefson said he was “100%” a victim of unjustified criminalization after a virtual encounter he had with a minor was leaked and went viral. Dave Mustaine and Megadeth parted ways with Ellefson soon after, with Mustaine declaring he could never work with the bassist again. Since then, Ellefson has said he was a victim of “revenge porn” and that Megadeth kicked him to the “side of the road.”
“First of all, I have a right to a personal life and I didn’t do anything to anybody – period,” Ellefson said when asked if he thought what he did was “bad.” “And that’s just the end result. And some people decided to really hurt me. And I really don’t want to keep digging that up, because now we’re doing exactly what I’m talking about, which is not digging it up. We’ve moved past it. It is what it is, it was what it was, and I certainly set out to prove what it wasn’t. And that’s the path I took.”
Regarding Megadeth, Ellefson said he is happier now that he has parted ways with the band and his tumultuous relationship with Mustaine . The bassist also claims that "personal grudges and resentments" were the main motivation behind his expulsion .
“The fact that I was kicked out of my band was clearly… I think people can see that, because [the announcement that I was being fired] was signed personally [by Mustaine]… There were other resentments and other things behind it. And I think that’s what became clear. And again, I did everything I could to try and fix that and smooth things over, but he didn’t want to know about it. So, it is what it is…”
He added: “I don’t even think about Megadeth anymore. I really don’t – I don’t think about it. That whole thing, for me, is dead, to be honest with you.”
Check out the full interview below.
