CKY bassist Mike Leon departs band amid spat with frontman Chad I Ginsburg
Both Mike Leon and Chad I Ginsburg have offered conflicting accounts of how and why Leon left the band.
CKY bassist Mike Leon has confirmed he’s leaving the band, saying he can no longer continue because of so-called "toxicity" from frontman Chad I Ginsburg.
Ginsburg has since publicly disputed Leon’s account, insisting the former Soulfly member was actually dismissed — and for a very different reason.
Leon confirmed his exit in a statement explaining that he would not be appearing at CKY’s upcoming shows. He said the working environment had become increasingly difficult, pointing to disagreements over logistics and business decisions that he attributed to Ginsburg’s leadership.
He shared in a series of slides on Instagram: “For full transparency, I will not be participating in the band’s upcoming shows.
“As unfortunate as this is, given the circumstances, I believe this was the right move to make. The differences regarding logistics and business decisions, primarily driven by the actions of the band’s leader, created internal issues that made an already stressful environment increasingly difficult to work in.”
Leon went on to say that the situation had become unlike anything he had experienced in his career.
He added: “In all of my years of working in this industry, I have never experienced this level of toxicity from an individual."
Ginsburg quickly responded via Instagram Stories, rejecting Leon’s claims and offering his own explanation for the split, alleging that he didn't want to "tour with the dogs" and "wanted more money".
According to the guitarist, Leon was fired the night before his statement was posted.
He wrote: “I don’t know what Mike Leon is talking about in his post.
“However, I do know the facts, and the facts are, Mike — and you know them too — is that we fired you last night because you hate dogs and you didn’t want to tour with the dogs and you wanted more money and you weren’t happy with anything ever.”
He went on to call Leon’s version of events “crazy,” challenging him to prove any of the allegations he made.
The band has not issued any further comment, and it remains unclear who will take over bass duties for CKY’s upcoming live dates.
Leon is not the only one to have called it quits because of the frontman's alleged behaviour.
His exit comes after the British group BLACKGOLD quit their tour with CKY after they claimed they endured “disrespect” and “narcissism” from Ginsburg.
In 2024, Alien Ant Farm’s Dryden Mitchell removed CKY from their tour after Ginsburg allegedly punched him during the run.
