Mark Hoppus says keeping Blink-182’s reunion a secret was a “burden”

Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus has called the task of keeping the band’s reunion with Tom DeLonge a secret a “burden”.

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Speaking on his After School Radio podcast on Apple Music on October 12, Hoppus shared that he felt “a weight has been lifted off [his] shoulders” following news of the band’s reunion with the estranged vocalist/guitarist. “That was a burden to carry that secret for so long,” he shared, before stating, “Yes, it’s happening. Blink-182 world tour, new music, new album. Tom’s back.”

Blink-182’s upcoming album would be the first LP to feature all three original members since 2011’s Neighbourhoods.

News of Blink-182’s reunion was announced earlier this week, with the band announcing a world tour with dates in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand alongside a brand new single titled Edging set to be released this 14 October.

Rumours of Tom DeLonge’s return to Blink-182 began in July guitarist Matt Skiba told replied to a fan telling them he doesn’t know what the current status of the band is, followed by DeLonge changing his bio on Instagram to state that “I make music”, tagging both Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves official accounts.

Hoppus previously dropped hints about the reunion in an August interview where he shared how the band reconciled while he was recovering from chemotherapy.

“It was the first time that all three of us were in the same room in like five years. It’s actually better than it used to be. There was no agenda. There were no lingering grudges. It felt very back to what it should be: three friends sitting in a room,” Hoppus shared, adding their friendship was “in a really great place right now.”

In September 2021, Hoppus shared that he is now “cancer free” after completing chemotherapy.  He was diagnosed with 4-A diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in July, the same cancer which his mother survived

DeLonge left the band in 2015 to focus on his aerospace-entertainment company To The Stars, with Blink-182 opting to release California in 2016 with Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba replacing him.