Lindsey Buckingham Has Quit (and Been Fired From) Fleetwood Mac — What Happened?
"I decided for myself that I was no longer willing to work with him," said Stevie Nicks.
Published July 23 2025, 6:05 p.m. ET
A band simply wouldn't be a band if they didn't have at least one dramatic tale under their belt. When it comes to Fleetwood Mac, there are enough staggering stories to fill hundreds of VH1 Behind the Music specials. We'd love to see that series and VH1 return.
The group first formed in 1967 in London, and did not include Lindsey Buckingham or Stevie Nicks.
After a series of exits, returns, and new faces, including one former member joining a cult, Stevie and Lindsey found their way to Fleetwood Mac in 1975. This is when hits like "Landslide" and "Rhiannon" catapulted the group into a new category.
While "Rumours" was being recorded in 1976, things started to fall apart in a truly catastrophic way. About a decade later, Lindsey was out. Was he fired? Here's what we know.
Was Lindsey Buckingham fired? No and yes.
In September 1987, Rolling Stone reported that Lindsey was "going his own way" ahead of the band's fall tour. Lindsey told the outlet he was interested in focusing on his solo career. In 1985, Lindsey was working on his third solo album when the band asked him to produce their fourteenth studio album, "Tango in the Night".
He put aside his own work and committed 17 months to making this album. "It was always our understanding that upon completion, I would return to my solo work in progress."
Although Fleetwood Mac has never really broken up, in 1990 Stevie and Christine McVie stepped away from the band. Like Lindsey, Stevie wanted to pursue her solo career. Christine was simply ready to quit after nearly 20 years.
The band's publicist, Mitchell Schneider, told the Los Angeles Times this was an amicable split. The alleged breakup didn't last very long, as three years later, Fleetwood Mac temporarily reunited, including Lindsey.
What briefly brought Fleetwood Mac back together? They performed at former president Bill Clinton's inaugural ball in January 1993. This makes sense, as their 1977 hit "Don't Stop" was Clinton's campaign theme song.
This was also the year Stevie entered rehab for her Klonopin addiction.
Lindey Buckingham was really fired in 2018.
Fleetwood Mac well and truly reunited in 1997 when they recorded "The Dance." One year later, Christine went on hiatus until 2014.
"I honestly could never in my wildest dreams have thought I could return to the band," she told People. "It’s just a dream come true." Unfortunately, the dream wouldn't last for long.
In 2018, Lindsey was fired from the band following a disagreement about an upcoming tour, per Rolling Stone. The news was broken in a since-deleted post to X from guitarist Billy Burnette, who replaced Lindsey in 1987 and left in 1995.
"Breaking news: Lindsey Buckingham is out but I’m not in," said the post. This was confirmed to Variety, which did not reveal why Lindsey was let go.
Lindsey later told Rolling Stone that he was fired after asking the band to delay a tour for a few months so he could tour on his solo album.
When the band refused, Lindsey said he offered to book solo gigs in the same cities as the band's tour. In response to this, Stevie said Lindsey's firing happened after an "exceedingly difficult time" with Lindsey at MusiCares in New York in 2018.
"I decided for myself that I was no longer willing to work with him," she said.