Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley says he was sexually abused by ex-manager

Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley is alleging successful a caller memoir that helium was groomed and sexually abused by the band’s erstwhile manager Greig Nori, erstwhile helium was a teen and Nori was successful his 30s.

The claims, archetypal reported successful a diagnostic by the Los Angeles Times, look successful Whibley’s book Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell. In it, Whibley writes that Nori kissed him without consent and instigated intersexual encounters during Sum 41’s formative years successful Ajax, Ont., and into the aboriginal 2000s.

Whibley ne'er told his bandmates astir the alleged abuse, and lone confided successful then-partner Avril Lavigne and his existent woman Ariana Cooper, who helped him recognize the narration betwixt himself and Nori arsenic abusive. After years of reflection and learning astir the MeToo movement, Whibley told the L.A. Times helium realized helium had been groomed.

“As excited arsenic I americium to stock this unfastened and honorable memoir of my beingness story, I’m arsenic conscionable arsenic terrified,” a station connected the Sum 41 Instagram page reads.

Nori, a instrumentalist from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., denies the claims successful the publication arsenic “false allegations.” He told the Globe and Mail that helium has retained a defamation lawyer.

The allegations

In Walking Disaster, Whibley describes gathering Nori for the archetypal clip erstwhile helium snuck backstage astatine a Treble Charger performance erstwhile helium was 16. At the time, Whibley was successful precocious schoolhouse trying to marque his euphony dreams travel true, and Nori, the frontman of Treble Charger, was his hero.

Whibley invited Nori to 1 of Sum 41’s upcoming performances, sparking a mentorship that would yet turn into Nori managing the band.

One nighttime erstwhile Whibley was 18, helium and Nori were astatine a rave erstwhile the older instrumentalist asked Whibley to travel to the bath to bash ecstasy with him. Inside the bath stall, Whibley writes that Nori grabbed him and “passionately” kissed him.

Nori allegedly told the Sum 41 frontman that the brace shared a “special” transportation and the narration was worthy exploring. Nori would person been astir 36 years aged astatine the time.

At the time, Whibley tried to brushwood disconnected the brushwood due to the fact that Nori was a trusted fig successful his life.

“It seemed similar a chill experimentation erstwhile I was high, but erstwhile I was sober, it felt wrong,” Whibley writes. “Greig kept pushing for things to hap erstwhile we were together. I started feeling similar I was being pressured to bash thing against my will. It was a unusual feeling due to the fact that for the astir portion I trusted Greig wholly and inactive thought helium was a large quality being, which made it each truthful confusing.”

Whibley writes that helium tried galore times to extremity the intersexual facet of their relationship, lone to beryllium accused of homophobia by Nori. The Treble Charger frontman allegedly told Whibley helium “owed” him for helping to get Sum 41 disconnected the ground.

In 2004, Whibley started dating Lavigne, a chap Canadian pop-punk star, and helium shared what had happened betwixt him and Nori.

“That’s abuse! He sexually abused you,” Lavigne told Whibley, according to the memoir. Lavigne and Whibley divided up successful 2009 aft 3 years of marriage. Whibley’s existent wife, Ariana Cooper, had a akin absorption erstwhile helium told her, helium said.

Eventually, Whibley says Nori stopped trying to unit him into intersexual encounters aft a communal person learned of the narration and said it was abusive. In 2005, Sum 41 fired Nori arsenic its manager.

As Whibley got older, yet hitting the property that Nori was erstwhile they archetypal met, the Sum 41 frontman began to amended recognize the powerfulness imbalance successful their relationship.

“It each became truthful clear,” Whibley told the L.A. Times. “Then astir a twelvemonth later, the Me Too happening started happening. I started proceeding stories of grooming, and it each started to marque sense.”

In an interrogation with the Toronto Star, Whibley said he’s not disquieted astir the imaginable ineligible fallout of the memoir.

“You can’t writer (someone) for telling the truth,” Whibley said. “If helium wants to situation it, I invited that. Let’s spell to court. Let’s spell nether oath. That would beryllium f—king great! I invited that part…. Finally, let’s get it connected record!”

Sum 41 is currently touring its last-ever circular of shows, and person booked Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena connected Jan. 30, 2025 arsenic their last stop.