While Newsted has been a longtime friend of Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine, the bassist has made no indication in recent years that he's interested in touring again — particularly with a metal band. In fact, in an interview given in early-2020, Newsted asserted that a nearly decade removed from his last tour, he no longer has the "physicality" to play heavy metal. Jason's wife, Nicole Newsted, saw enough speculation over the past few weeks that she addressed the supergroup talk via Instagram on behalf of her social media-shunning husband. "1. Jason is not joining Megadeth. [P]eace to them. Listen to metal," she began, before warning followers of possible scammers masquerading online has her husband. "2. Jason does not have social media accounts..."