The Band Perry Member Says He Was 'Forced Out' Of Group: 'I Was Terminated'

Neil Perry opened up about changes to The Band Perry.

Neil is one of the original members of the trio, along with siblings Kimberly Perry and Reid Perry. The group emerged from a years-long hiatus last year, about 15 years after their 2010 debut record. Initially, Kimberly and Reid returned with Kimberly's husband, Johnny Costello, and Reid decided to leave the band shortly afterward. Kimberly responded to his decision with support.

"I explicitly asked my sister not to misrepresent my support for the current version of the band," Neil wrote in an Instagram post this week, which also spotlighted his new music with WOLVESofJUNE in the caption.

"By May of 2024, none of us were consistently on speaking terms, and Reid had stopped engaging in both personal and business matters," Neil stated. "Kimberly came to me about bringing the band out of hiatus, and we initially agreed that moving forward with Reid was not something we were prepared to do. Kimberly reached out to him, and he confirmed he was not interested. I was then presented with three options: move forward as a duo, hold auditions or have her husband step in. I was fine with the first two, but soon understood Kimberly wanted to move forward with the third. We ultimately decided not to proceed.

"A few weeks later, Reid rejoined the band through conversations I was not part of, and I was given three days to decide whether I would continue under those circumstances," he continued. "At the end of that three-day window, I asked for a conversation the following week and was told I was out of time. I was approached again a month later, but I could not move forward under those circumstances. At that point, I understood that continuing to tour was no longer realistically an option for me and I would soon be forced out by the 2/3 partnership agreement. What I did not agree to was losing my financial interest and access to the resources and business I had spent my life helping build.

"Shortly after the band signed a label deal, my brother left the band," Neil concluded. "What remained is my sister and her husband."

Neil took to Instagram with a separate post to further explain his side of the story and how WOLVESofJUNE began. He said, "June 2024 took something from me. Something I had spent my entire life building.A band. A business. A family. A name.

"My sister wanted her husband to become a member of the band, taking my brother's place. I made it equally clear that I was not okay with that," Neil wrote. "By then, the situation had become about far more than the lineup. I had witnessed instability and broken trust that fundamentally changed my ability to move forward.

"Weeks later, I was terminated," he said. "The day after my birthday.

"I never expected that my decision not to participate under those circumstances would also mean losing my financial interest and access to the band's platforms, resources, and audience I had spent my life helping build," Neil wrote. "Then I watched a story emerge that didn't resemble the one I lived. The anger became music. The grief became songs. The loss became freedom.

"June 2024 took the old life," Neil concluded. "WOLVESofJUNE is what came next."

Kimberly, Reid and Costello have not publicly responded to Neil's posts as of publication time on Friday (August 14).

The Band Perry kicked off their career with their self-titled debut studio record in 2010. The sibling trio went on to become known for "If I Die Young," "Better Dig Two," "DONE" and other hits. They've also scored Grammys, Country Music Association Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, CMT Music Awards and several No. 1 singles, among other achievements. The trio opted to "take a creative break" in 2022, and announced their official comeback in June 2025 (after Neil said he was "terminated" from the band). Prior to the official comeback, The Band Perry played a homecoming show to help with Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Neil did not take part in that show. Instead, he continued his solo endeavors, and his bandmates wished him "the most success" at that time. Shortly after the band's return, Reid announced his departure.

Kimberly has since opened up about The Band Perry's rise to stardom and the group's new chapter. She spoke about "the mystery of the disappearance of the band," in an interview on Rolling Stone's Nashville Now podcast earlier this year, and told Bobby Bones on an episode of The BobbyCast that she "couldn't live with" The Band Perry's "disappearance." The Band Perry's latest songs to release - by Kimberly and her husband, Costello - include "You Lie" with Kaitlin Butts, "If I Die Young" live from CMA Fest 2026, "Kill It," "Buzzards" and "PSYCHOLOGICAL."