Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley has said his ex-girlfriend singer Avril Lavigne told him he had experienced “sexual abuse” when he told her about his former manager’s alleged behavior towards him.
In his memoir, Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell, which is published on Tuesday, and in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Whibley has alleged that Greig Nori sexually and verbally abused him for years.
Newsweekhas emailed Nori for comment on these allegations. According to the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, Nori was unaware of the allegations until coverage began to emerge on Monday evening. Nori told the newspaper that these were “false allegations” and has retained a defamation lawyer.
Whibley and Nori, the frontman of the rock band Treble Chargers, met when Whibley sneaked backstage at a Treble Charger’s concert. In time, Nori became a mentor to Whibley and later manager to Sum 41.
Avril Lavigne and Deryck Whibley in 2005 in Los Angeles, California. In his new memoir, Whibley alleges that Lavigne told him that the behavior of his manager Greig Nori was sexual abuse.
Jason Merritt/FilmMagic for Us Weekly Magazine/Getty Images
In the book, Whibley alleges that Nori first kissed him “passionately” at a rave when he was 18 and then persuaded him to explore their relationship. Whibley alleges whenever he tried to break off the relationship, Nori would accuse him of homophobia and say that he “owed” him for helping the band’s career progress.
In the interview with the LA Times, Whibley describes the moment in 2004 when he told his then girlfriend Avril Lavigne—the pair would later marry in 2006 before splitting in 2009—about Nori.
Whibley alleges that Lavigne exclaimed, “That’s abuse! He sexually abused you,” in response.
Newsweek emailed Avril Lavigne’s representatives for comment at 08.50 a.m. EDT.
Newsweek has also emailed Deryck Whibley’s representatives, asking for comment on the allegations and clarification as to whether Avril Lavigne was made aware that Whibley would include her alleged comments in his memoir.
In the memoir, Whibley declares his current wife, model Ariana Cooper, had a similar reaction to Lavigne when he told her.
According to Whibley, the alleged sexual abuse stopped when a mutual friend learned what was happening and said their relationship was abusive. This allegedly led to Nori no longer instigating sexual encounters.
In the memoir, Whibley alleges that after the sexual aspect of his relationship with Nori ended, the alleged verbal and psychological abuse became worse.
Whibley alleges that Nori would switch between lavishing praise on him when he wanted something and pitting the rest of the band against him by saying that Whibley had “gone Hollywood” thanks to his relationship with Lavigne.
Sum 41 eventually fired Nori as their manager in 2005.
In the LA Times article, Whibley said that he has not yet confided his abuse allegations with his past and present bandmates, nor did he pre-warn Nori about the abuse allegations in the memoir.
“You know, I don’t owe him anything,” Whibley told the newspaper. “I’ve had an inner battle, like, ‘Why do I want to tell him? Because I feel like I’m supposed to? Because he still has this thing over me?’ He controlled everything in my life, but even the rest of the guys through the band. We were all under his wing. Me more, obviously. But he was such a controlling person.”
Whibley told the LA Times that he only started to consider his relationship with Nori a decade ago when he began to approach 35—the age that Nori had been when he first met Whibley.
“It all became so clear. Then about a year later, the Me Too thing started happening. I started hearing stories of grooming, and it all started to make sense,” Whibley told the LA Times.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to https://www.rainn.org/
