Sum 41's Deryck Whibley Alleges Sexual Abuse By Ex-Manager

Deryck Whibley has alleged that the band’s former manager and singer of the band Treble Charger, Greig Nori, groomed and verbally and sexually abused him in the early days of Sum 41.

Nori was the band’s manager from 1996 until 2005; the band separated from him following the release of their 2004 album Chuck.

In his forthcoming memoir, Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven And Hell, Whibley wrote that he met Nori when he was 16 and Nori was 34 and became the band’s manager.

Whibley alleged that the relationship between him and Nori became sexual after he turned 18, discussing the allegations in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Recalling an instance where he took ecstasy with Nori at a warehouse party, Whibley wrote in his book: “We were jammed in a gross bathroom stall, and I was talking non-stop, when he reached over, grabbed my face, and kissed me on the mouth passionately.

“I was very confused. Was that OK? Was I upset? Did I like it? Was he gay? Was he just high and being crazy? So many thoughts were coming at me so quickly that I couldn't comprehend them.”

Whibley alleged that their encounters continued after that moment and claimed that he tried to stop them from happening, but Nori would respond by accusing Whibley of being “homophobic” and saying the singer “owed” him.

Whibley continued to write, “Greig kept pushing for things to happen when we were together. I started feeling like I was being pressured to do something against my will.”

The singer says he told his bandmates, former or current, about the alleged abuse, but he wrote that when he shared with his ex-wife Avril Lavigne, she responded, “That's abuse! He sexually abused you.” Whibley’s current wife, his wife of ten years, Ariana Cooper, also thought of the alleged instances as abuse.

Whibley claimed that the alleged abuse stopped after a mutual friend discovered the nature of their relationship and described it as abusive.

However, after the alleged sexual abuse stopped, Whibley claimed that the verbal abuse from Nori worsened and accused the band’s former manager of keeping the bandmates from speaking to their own parents.

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Whibley said that Nori hadn’t read the book and wasn’t afraid of any legal repercussions from Nori.

“You can't sue [someone] for telling the truth,” Whibley said. “If he wants to challenge it, I welcome that.

“Let's go to court. Let's go under oath. That would be fucking great! I welcome that part. Let's get into discovery. I'll have my lawyers grill you. They can grill me all they want. I mean, that would be fucking perfect! Finally, let's get it on record!”

Nori didn’t respond to the Los Angeles Times or Toronto Star for comment.

Deryck Whibley’s memoir drops this week via Gallery Books/Hachette Australia. You can buy the e-book/audiobook versions now, with the paperback and hardback versions of the book to be available in January 2025. Buy/pre-order your copy here.

Sum 41 will head to Australia this December with their Sound of the Setting Sum tour – their farewell run – as part of Good Things Festival. They appear on the bill alongside Korn, Bowling For Soup, Billy Corgan, L7, Mastodon, Killing Heidi, and many more.

This article mentions abuse and trauma. If you or someone you know is affected by these experiences and needs to contact someone, please get in touch with 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.