Mark Hoppus has once again discussed Tom DeLonge’s rumored return to Blink-182, with the bass guitar hero refusing to rule out the possibility that Blink’s founding guitarist may reunite with his former bandmates in the future.
Rumors of DeLonge’s return gathered steam earlier this month, when the electric guitar star posted a photo of himself alongside his classic era Blink-182 bandmates, Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker.
The photo was accompanied by a profile bio update, too, in which DeLonge stated, “I make music [in] Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves”. Pretty convincing evidence, if you ask us, and it’s no surprise that fans quickly got excited.
Alas, such excitement was short-lived, when Hoppus came out and shot down the speculation. “There is no news to share. There is no announcement,” he said. “If and when Blink has any announcement about anything, you will hear it from the official Blink-182 outlets.
“Tom tagged Mark in a photo from two decades ago.”
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However, Hoppus has now seemingly left the door to a DeLonge return wide open, revealing he is “open to whatever the next phase of Blink is”.
Speaking to People earlier this week, Hoppus once again denied DeLonge had returned to the lineup, but revealed he and Barker recently met up with the guitarist while Hoppus was battling cancer.
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In fact, according to Hoppus, the trio’s meeting was “actually better than it used to be.”
“It was the first time that all three of us were in the same room in like five years,” he commented. “There was no agenda. There were no lingering grudges. It felt very back to what it should be: three friends sitting in a room.”
To this end, Hoppus revealed he is “hopeful” for what the future holds, and has left the door open for a potential reunion.
“I keep writing music, and I’m open to whatever the next phase of Blink is,” Hoppus continued. “I’m hopeful for the future. I’m just damn glad to be here.”
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Hoppus and DeLonge aren’t the only ones who have fueled rumors of a return of the classic Blink-182 lineup, which split up in 2015 after DeLonge left to spend more time with his family, focus on his other band Angels & Airwaves, and “to change the world” for his kids.
Matt Skiba was recruited to fill DeLonge’s spot, though the guitarist recently voiced his own confusion over whether he was actually still part of the band.
After a commenter on Instagram pointed out that Skiba had stopped posting Blink-182 content – thus suggesting he may have left the group – the guitarist replied, “Your guess is as good as mine. Regardless, I am very proud of and thankful for my time with Blink-182. We shall see…”
Skiba was also absent for Blink-182’s recent performance at Travis Barker’s House of Horrors broadcast – Escape The Fate’s Kevin Gruft temporarily took his place.
DeLonge himself has never hid his belief that he will one day rekindle his musical relationship with Hoppus and Barker. In 2019, the guitarist told Rolling Stone , “We all love each other and care about each other. We don’t always see eye to eye. I think people see the differences in our art.
“I love seeing how they’ve evolved and what they’re doing,” he continued, “I think when people look at Angels & Airwaves and what I’m doing, they can tell the differences. And sometimes it’s hard when you’re all trying to paint the same painting.”
He concluded by saying “there will be a time, absolutely, that we play together”. So, is a Blink-182 reunion right around the corner? Only time will tell...
