Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley accused former manager Greig Nori of grooming him and pressuring him into a sexual relationship when he was 16 years old.
Whibley revealed his bombshell allegations for the first time in his new memoir, “Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell,” released Oct. 8. The rockstar said Nori verbally and sexually abused him for years, claiming they had a “special connection,” according to an interview with The Los Angeles Times published Oct. 7. Whibley claimed he was 16 years old and Nori was 34 at the time.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 30: Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 poses at Music Choice on May 30, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
The famous rock singer said he wasn’t initially planning on sharing his allegations against Nori with the world, but when he sat down to write his memoir, he realized this alleged abuse formed an integral part of his life and had to be mentioned, according to The Lose Angeles Times.
“I don’t know how to tell the real story without getting into some of this stuff, because it’s all intertwined with my life, intertwined with the music and in the band,” Whibley said.
“It’s just such a big part of it.”
COLUMBUS, OH – JULY 18: Deryck Whibley, Frank Zummo, Tom Thacker, Jason McCaslin and Dave Baksh of Sum 41 attend the Alternative Press Music Awards 2016 at Jerome Schottenstein Center on July 18, 2016 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
Whibley’s told the Times he was initially delighted that Nori took interest in his music, and felt mentored by him. He alleged that it took him a long time to realize the special interest Nori took in him was a form of grooming. He said Nori gave him his first drink — shots of Goldschläger — and he was later able to look back and see how problematic those alleged actions were, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The Sum 41 star said Nori went on to secure group studio sessions for Sum 41 and helped the band make contacts, then began opening up to gatherings and raves to them. Whibley recalled a time that he became intoxicated at a rave when he as 18 years old, and claimed Nori invited him to the bathroom to take a hit of ecstasy. Whibley alleged Nori touched his face and kissed him “passionately” while they were in the bathroom stall, according to The Los Angeles times.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 13: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 performs onstage at the 2024 iHeartRadio ALTer EGO Presented by Capital One at the Honda Center on January 13, 2024 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
He claimed Nori told him he had never experimented in a same-sex relationship before and said he “brought it out in him because what [they] had was so special,” the memoir read, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Whibley said in the memoir that Nori continued to pressure him to remain open to the relationship because “so many of my rock star idols were queer. … Most people are bisexual; they’re just too afraid to admit it.”
The Sum 41 star claimed when he tried ending things with Nori the other man told him he “owed” him for assisting with his career.
Looking back at his life, Whibley alleged that he became aware that he had been groomed and abused when his ex-wife Avril Lavigne defined it as “abuse” for the first time. (RELATED: ‘Very Cultish’: Mother Of Child Star Describes What It Was Like Behind The Scenes At Nickelodeon)
“It all became so clear,” Whibley said, according to the Los Angeles Times. He went on to say the “Me Too thing started happening. I started hearing stories of grooming, and it all started to make sense.”
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
