Chad Gilbert has spent two decades as the guitarist and resident chaos agent of New Found Glory, and this week he did something he almost never does: he sat still long enough to explain himself.
In a sprawling new interview tied to the band's upcoming tour dates, Gilbert opened up about the pop-punk machine he helped build, the songs that aged differently than he expected, and why he keeps showing up when he could easily coast on nostalgia money.
For fans who grew up screaming "My Friends Over You" in parking lots, the timing lands hard.
New Found Glory has been a touring institution since the late '90s, and Gilbert's riffs are the reason half those choruses hit like a sugar rush.
But he's also been the band's most scrutinized member, a guy whose personal life once generated more headlines than the music.
Gilbert acknowledged that being the guy people gossip about can mess with how you're remembered, and he's not pretending it doesn't sting.
He's been married to Hayley Williams since 2016, and the internet has never really let either of them forget it.
For years, message boards treated his marriage like a plot twist instead of a relationship.
Here's what's actually interesting: he's not running from any of it.
Instead of a defensive press tour, Gilbert sounds like someone who's made peace with being a footnote in someone else's bigger story and a headline in his own.
That's a rare spot for a guitarist in a genre that usually rewards the frontman.
The bigger story is what this means for New Found Glory's next chapter.
The band has been navigating a real-life curveball since 2022, when frontman Jordan Pundik's health scare forced canceled shows and a lot of hard conversations.
Gilbert has been candid that those months changed how the group thinks about time, setlists, and how long they actually want to keep doing this.
So the question floating around fan spaces right now is simple: is this a victory lap or a reset?
He's talked about writing new material that doesn't just reheat the old sound, and he's hinted the live show might get reworked in ways that surprise people who've seen them ten times.
Pop-punk reunions and legacy tours are a safe bet, and messing with a formula that sells tickets is how bands make enemies of their own audience.
But Gilbert has never been the safe-bet guy.
He's the one who says the quiet part loud, which is exactly why people keep watching him.
The internet's reaction has been predictably split.
Some fans see a grown man finally getting honest about fame, marriage, and the weird math of being semi-famous in a genre full of bigger names.
Others think he's just stirring the pot before a tour, which is a fair read given how this industry works.
Either way, he's got people talking, and that's the whole game.
New Found Glory built a career on loud, messy, heartfelt noise, and Gilbert is still the guy plugging in first.
Our take: Gilbert doesn't need a redemption arc, and he probably doesn't want one.
Letting him be complicated instead of casting him as a villain or a hero is the more honest move.
Final Thoughts
If the new shows deliver, none of the gossip will matter, and that's exactly how it should go.