Is Blink-182's Tom DeLonge Leaving the Band?

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There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not Tom DeLonge is still a member of the pop-punk group Blink-182.

According to a Rolling Stone report, DeLonge's bandmates, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, released a statement declaring that the guitarist and co-vocalist had quit the group.

However, the only person who seemed to think that DeLonge wasn't leaving Blink-182 was DeLonge himself, who gave a statement to Entertainment Weekly denying the news entirely.

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"I never quit the band," DeLonge told Rolling Stone. "I was on the phone discussing a possible Blink 182 event in New York City when I heard the 'news.'"

The only thing that was true about the rumors of him not appearing with the band was that his availability to play shows with Hoppus and Barker would be limited in the near future.

"The only truth here is that I have commitments that limit my availability this year," DeLonge said. "I love Blink-182 and I’m not leaving."

The rumors began when it was announced that Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba would be joining Blink when they played the upcoming Musink Festival on March 22.

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As Billboard reported, it was shortly after this announcement that Hoppus and Barker released a statement saying, "We were all set to play this festival and record a new album and Tom kept putting it off without reason… A week before we were scheduled to go in to the studio, we got an email from his manager explaining that he didn't want to participate in any Blink-182 projects indefinitely, but would rather work on his other non-musical endeavors… No hard feelings, but the show must go on for our fans."

DeLonge also posted a denial on his Instagram, writing, "To all the fans, I never quit the band…. Apparently those releases were 'sanctioned' from the band. Are we dysfunctional- yes. But, Christ..... #Awkward #BabyBackRibs."

It's unclear what DeLonge meant by "sanctioned," but as it stands, it looks like he plans on sticking around.

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UPDATE:

After DeLonge took to Instagram to deny that he was leaving the band, Hoppus and Barker sat down with Rolling Stoneto clarify their previous statements.

"Every single thing that we've heard from [DeLonge's] camp - from e-mails from his manager to our production team - was, 'Tom is out indefinitely. For the foreseeable future, Tom is done.'" Hoppus said, explaining that there was no ambiguity on DeLonge's part in regards to leaving the band.

When asked what their reaction was to DeLonge's denial that he quit, Barker said, "I think he's just bummed because Mark and I were finally honest. We always covered up for him before… It's hard to cover for someone who's disrespectful and ungrateful. You don't even have the balls to call your bandmates and tell them you're not going to record or do anything Blink-related. You have your manager do it. Everyone should know what the story is with him and it's been years with it. When we did get back together after my plane crash, we only got back together, I don't know, maybe because I almost died. But he didn't even listen to mixes or masterings from that record. He didn't even care about it. Why Blink even got back together in the first place is questionable."

"His actions speak louder than whatever he feels compelled to write on an Instagram post," Hoppus added.

Blink-182's recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of the release of their breakthrough hit "All the Small Things." Check out the video below for a look at seven small things you didn't know about the hit single.

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