Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley says he was sexually abused by ex-manager
Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley is alleging in a new memoir that he was groomed and sexually abused by the band’s former manager Greig Nori, when he was a teenager and Nori was in his 30s.
In a new memoir, *Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell*, Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley claims he was groomed and sexually abused by the band’s former manager, Greig Nori, when Whibley was a teenager and Nori was in his 30s.
The allegations, first reported by the *Los Angeles Times*, detail incidents where Nori allegedly kissed Whibley without his consent and initiated sexual encounters during Sum 41’s early years in Ajax, Ontario, and into the early 2000s. Whibley said he kept the alleged abuse from his bandmates and only confided in his then-partner Avril Lavigne and current wife Ariana Cooper. Both helped him realize the relationship was abusive. After reflecting on his experiences and learning from the MeToo movement, Whibley told the *L.A. Times* that he recognized he had been groomed.
“As excited as I am to share this open and honest memoir of my life story, I’m equally just as terrified,” Whibley shared in a post on Sum 41’s Instagram page.
Nori, a musician from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, has denied the allegations, calling them "false" and stating to *The Globe and Mail* that he has hired a defamation lawyer.
Whibley’s account begins with his first encounter with Nori when he snuck backstage at a Treble Charger concert at 16. Nori, the lead singer of Treble Charger, later became his mentor and eventually Sum 41’s manager. Whibley alleges that one night, when he was 18, Nori invited him to a rave and asked him to take ecstasy in a bathroom stall. Inside, Nori allegedly grabbed him and kissed him passionately, telling Whibley they had a “special” connection worth exploring. At that time, Nori was about 36 years old.
Whibley initially tried to dismiss the incident, trusting Nori as a key figure in his life. However, he writes, “It seemed like a cool experiment when I was high, but when I was sober, it felt wrong.” He described feeling increasingly pressured by Nori, despite believing Nori was a good person. “It was confusing,” Whibley admitted.
He says he tried to end the sexual aspect of their relationship several times, only to be accused of homophobia by Nori. Whibley recalls Nori telling him he “owed” him for helping Sum 41 succeed.
In 2004, Whibley confided in Avril Lavigne, who responded, “That’s abuse! He sexually abused you.” Whibley later shared the same with his current wife, Ariana Cooper, who reacted similarly.
According to Whibley, Nori stopped trying to pressure him after a mutual friend called the relationship abusive. Sum 41 fired Nori as their manager in 2005. As Whibley matured, he began to recognize the power imbalance in their relationship, especially after learning more about grooming through the MeToo movement. “It all became so clear,” he said.
In an interview with the *Toronto Star*, Whibley expressed confidence in facing any potential legal consequences from the memoir. “You can’t sue (someone) for telling the truth,” he stated. “If he wants to challenge it, I welcome that. Let’s go to court. Let’s go under oath... Finally, let’s get it on record!”
Sum 41 is currently on their final tour, with their last show scheduled at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on January 30, 2025.
