Neil Perry has publicly claimed he was 'forced out' of The Band Perry by his sister Kimberly Perry and her husband, Johnny Costello, after a messy family feud over the band's future. In a series of social media posts, Neil, 36, said he was 'terminated' by his older sister, receiving the news the day after his birthday. The country trio, best known for their hit 'If I Die Young', was originally formed by siblings Neil, Kimberly, and Reid in the 2000s.
Background and Hiatus
After signing to Republic Nashville in 2009, The Band Perry released two albums and toured consistently until officially going on hiatus in 2023. In August 2025, the band announced their return—but without Neil. Instead, Kimberly's husband, Johnny Costello, took over backing vocals, while Reid returned on bass. However, by October 2025, Reid had also quietly left the band, leaving fans puzzled.
Neil broke his silence by joining a social media trend, posting a video of himself sitting in a chair surrounded by awards, with the caption: 'Preparing for my Netflix documentary about how the Band Perry went from three siblings to my sister and her husband.' The posts escalated as he shared clips of Kimberly, 43, claiming in interviews that her brothers had given their 'blessing' for her to continue without them.
Neil's Account of the Feud
Neil refuted Kimberly's claims, calling them a 'misrepresentation' of his 'current vision of the band'. He revealed that the siblings were not on 'consistent speaking terms' and that Reid, 37, had 'stopped engaging in both personal and business matters'. The Grammy winner has not disclosed why Reid stopped speaking, with no publicly aired arguments.
According to Neil, Kimberly approached him about bringing the band out of hiatus, and they agreed that moving forward with Reid was not an option. Reid turned down the offer to rejoin, and Kimberly allegedly gave Neil three options: move forward as a duo, hold auditions, or have her husband step in. Neil said, 'I was fine with the first two, but soon understood Kimberly wanted to move forward with the third.' He added, 'We ultimately decided not to proceed.'
Reid's Rejoining and Neil's Exit
Neil did not voice personal issues with Johnny, who married Kimberly in 2021, but made it clear he didn't want someone 'taking his brother's place'. The situation took an unexpected twist when Reid rejoined the band 'through conversations [Neil] was not part of'. Neil claims he was then given three days to decide if he wanted to be part of the comeback, but when he asked for a conversation the following week, he was told he was 'out of time'.
'I was approached again a month later, but I could not move forward under those circumstances,' Neil continued. '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.' He stated he 'did not agree' to 'losing my financial interest and access to the resources and business I had spent my life helping build.'
Aftermath and New Projects
As for Reid's decision to drop out, Neil said it happened 'shortly after' the band had resigned with original label Big Machine. Reid posted on his rarely used Instagram to inform fans, wishing his sister 'the best' in the future. The Band Perry went on to release two new singles—their first in nine years—with just Johnny and Kimberly as members.
Neil has started a new band, named Wolves of June, a nod to when he realised he had been replaced. He explained, 'June 2024 took something from me. Something I had spent my entire life building. A band. A business. A family. A name.' He added, '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 claimed the situation had become about 'far more' than just the line-up, feeling that trust had been broken which 'fundamentally changed my ability to move forward'.
'Then I watched a story emerge that didn't resemble the one I lived,' he continued. 'The anger became music. The grief became songs. The loss became freedom… June 2024 took the old life. @wolvesofjune is what came next.' Kimberly and her husband have not yet addressed Neil's message, but they have been sharing clips from recent live shows and teasing new music. They have switched off commenting on their Instagram after being bombarded with questions about 'kicking out' the brothers. Metro has reached out to The Band Perry for comment.
