Greig Nori, the ex-manager for Sum 41, has denied accusations of sexual abuse put forward by the band’s frontman Deryck Whibley.
The allegations arose as the singer yesterday (October 8) shared his first memoir, Walking Disaster, and also opened up to the LA Times about some of the more serious subject matter in the book.
In the memoir, Whibley accused Nori, who is also the frontman for fellow pop-punk group Treble Charger, of grooming him, as well as sexually and verbally abusing him for years.
Speaking to The Globe And Mail on Monday evening, Nori said that he had not seen the book or heard the allegations and added: “These are false allegations”. Nori also said that he had retained a defamation lawyer.
According to the allegations put forward, the frontman claimed the abuse began when Whibley was 16 and Nori was 34. The two are said to have met when Whibley snuck backstage at a Treble Charger gig to invite Nori to a Sum 41 show. From there, Whibley alleged Nori gave him his phone number, and they would talk on the phone for hours.
The memoir also claimed that Nori got him and drummer Steve Jocz their first drinks, and would become the band’s manager and Whibley’s mentor – helping with booking studio sessions and networking. Whibley also wrote in Walking Disaster that he felt he “couldn’t talk to anyone but him”, and that Nori felt like “the only person we could trust”.
Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 performs in 2024. CREDIT: Francesco Prandoni/Getty Images
An instance of alleged abuse detailed in the book reportedly took place when Whibley was 18, and Nori allegedly grabbed his face and “passionately” kissed him while they were doing ecstasy in the bathroom of a rave. The Sum 41 singer alleged that he was surprised by the move as he hadn’t thought of Nori like that prior. He also claimed that from there, Nori persuaded him into exploring what they had, saying: “Most people are bisexual; they’re just too afraid to admit it.”
Whibley also claimed that, that when he tried to end things with Nori, the Treble Charger frontman accused him of being homophobic and listed out the ways that Sum 41 “owed” him for helping get their career off the ground.
In the interview with LA Times, Whibley recalled how he largely kept his experience to himself, although he did go on to open up to Avril Lavigne when they began dating in 2004.
He also said he opened up to his current wife, Ariana Cooper, and both she and Lavigne told him that the instances between him and Nori were forms of abuse.
Whibley also alleged that the unwanted sexual encounters came to an end when a mutual friend between him and Nori said it was abuse, however, he claimed instances of psychological and verbal abuse soon worsened. According to the memoir, Nori would fluctuate between praising Whibley and berating him, as well as being insistent that he was given songwriting credit on many Sum 41 songs. This, Nori allegedly said, was because it would give the band “more credibility”.
Whibley would later go to court over the latter, and won back the songwriting share of the Sum 41 publishing credits from Nori.
Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 performs in 2024. CREDIT: Francesco Prandoni/Getty Images
Speaking with LA Times, Whibley recalled how Nori “wouldn’t let our parents know anything” – something he now thinks was done to keep anyone from getting suspicious. “He tried to keep them away all the time. Now it makes more sense. Because he was the same age as our parents, and we didn’t know that at the time,” he told the outlet.
Sum 41 would later fire Nori in 2005, citing that he was not responding to requests, unreachable and missing opportunities. Whibley says he had not revealed the nature of their relationship to his bandmates at that point.
Whibley told the LA Times he did not warn Nori about the allegations in the memoir ahead of it being published. In a statement to The Globe And Mail, Nori said that he had not heard the accusations prior to coverage being shared online.
As for Sum 41, last year the Canadian band confirmed they would be breaking up following the release of one final album and a farewell world tour.
‘Heaven :x: Hell’, said record, was shared as a double album, with the ‘Heaven’ side featuring 10 tracks of pop-punk-inspired music (influenced by 2001’s ‘All Killer, No Filler’ and 2002’s ‘Does This Look Infected?’) while ‘Hell’ showcased the heavier style that has defined recent Sum 41 releases like 2019’s ‘Order In Decline’.
At the end of 2023, Whibley spoke to NME about the record and the band’s decision to call it quits, saying: “I feel really good about this album, which is why I felt it should be the last one. We didn’t know we’d be splitting up when we were making it, but I’ve been making records and touring with this band since I was 15,” said Whibley, now 44. “I’ve had this feeling for a long time now that I want to do something different and it just feels like the right time. This album feels like the perfect way to go out.”
Earlier this summer, guitarist Dave Baksh and bassist Jason “Cone” McCaslin also touched upon how the band have become “stronger” in recent years, following health issues faced by Whibley.
“We took about two years off for Deryck to figure out his health problems and then when we got back together with Dave it just seemed [right] ” Cone said. “When everything got back together it felt really good. It’s been a rollercoaster for our whole career so it feels good to be playing these big festivals and higher up on the bill now.”
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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