Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley teases “announcement” amid Linkin Park rumors
Linkin Park fans are speculating Sum 41‘s Deryck Whibley could be joining the band in place of the late Chester Bennington.
In a Facebook post Monday, the “Fat Lip” rockers teased that Whibley is set to make an “announcement” Wednesday morning. That would coincide with the end of Linkin Park’s countdown clock, which began Saturday at 100 hours.
Beyond the overlap in timing, the Whibley/Linkin Park rumors already have history. Whibley performed at the Bennington tribute concert in 2017, and in 2018, Mike Shinoda joined Sum 41 for a rendition of LP’s “Faint,” which has over 11 million views on YouTube.
In a 2022 interview on The Jasta Show podcast, Whibley was asked about the “Faint” performance and whether he’d be open to joining Linkin Park in place of Bennington.
“I think that’s an impossible task,” Whibley said at the time. “I think those are impossible shoes to fill.”
He added, “That is such a non-possibility that it’s too weird to even, like, sort of joke-think about it.”
Of course, it’s entirely possible that Whibley’s feelings have changed over the last two years. Besides, he’ll have a lot more time coming up, as Sum 41’s farewell tour concludes in January.
Linkin Park, meanwhile, has been rumored to be reuniting for the first time since the Bennington tribute concert. In April, Billboard reported that members Shinoda, Brad Delson and Dave “Phoenix” Farrell were discussing getting back together for shows in 2025, though the report also said they were considering a female vocalist in place of Bennington.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
