Photo: Dave Benett Library
Courtney Love has put the brakes on reunion rumors — but she isn't ruling out the stage entirely. After a cryptic social media post set the internet buzzing with speculation about a full Hole comeback, the rock icon clarified Thursday, March 5th that no reunion is in the works. Instead, she confirmed she'll be hitting the road with former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur to perform new material.
The confusion started Tuesday, March 3rd, when Love posted a video of Auf der Maur on Instagram, set to the band's 1998 hit "Malibu," with the caption, "So do we tell the kids about the tour @xmadmx?" Auf der Maur responded in the comments: "It starts with eternal love…." The exchange quickly sent fans into a frenzy, with many believing a full Hole reunion was imminent.
But Love moved quickly to set the record straight. Love commented on a Spin magazine Instagram post about the news, writing simply, "No Hole reunion." She followed that up with a new comment on her original post, telling fans: "Not a reunion baby. Me and @xmadmx touring new songs."
Love and Auf der Maur plan to play "some shows, new songs" together, though specific tour dates have not yet been announced.
Hole's classic lineup has been on hiatus since 2002. The band returned briefly between 2009 and 2012 with some lineup changes, playing their last show in April 2012. Love and Auf der Maur last shared a stage together in October 2018 at the Basilica Hudson in Hudson, New York, where they performed classic Hole songs including "Doll Parts," "Miss World," and "Softer Softest."
The two have been steadily rebuilding their creative partnership, reuniting in the studio in 2024 for the first time in over two decades. That same year, the two teamed up with artist 070 Shake on a cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren."
Both artists are keeping busy beyond the planned shows. Love's documentary Antiheroine — a raw look at her life — premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, with a release date still to be announced. Auf der Maur's rock memoir, Even the Good Girls Will Cry, drops Tuesday, March 17th. Described as "part coming-of-age autobiography, part travel diary, part psychedelic scrapbook," it promises rare photos from throughout her career.
Love has long gone back and forth on the idea of a Hole reunion. She told Vogue in 2021 that it was "just not gonna happen," but then told a London crowd in 2024 that she'd "be back in Hole later." For now, fans will have to settle for a two-piece tour — though with new songs on the way, it may be worth the wait.