Deryck Whibley Says He Won’t Be Fronting Linkin Park

With dueling announcements slated to land around the same time as one another, many all over the internet believed Linkin Park and Sum 41‘s Deryck Whibley were going to make a joint announcement that the latter would be filling in for the late Chester Bennington. We reported on it earlier today and honestly, that speculation is plastered all over rock and metal internet. But it turns out it all might not have mattered in the end after all.

In a post shared on Sum 41’s official Twitter account, Whibley let fans down easily, stating that he had no intention in joining a reuniting band. That means no to Linkin Park and no to Oasis, who are also reuniting around the same time.

“I feel the need to dispel some current rumours. It’s been brought to my attention that many people think I could be joining a reuniting band. But I just want to say, despite popular belief, I am not joining Oasis… or Linkin Park. Or any other band for that matter.

“I have my own ‘tour and book’ announcement that I will now move to the end of the week, ahead of our U.S. tour.

“I do look forward to seeing whatever both these amazing bands do in the future.”

So there ya have it. According to Whibley, his big announcement is nothing more than a book and tour announcement and that we’ll have to wait until the end of the week to learn more about that. Linkin Park’s countdown is still soldiering on, as expected, with just over 25 hours left before the big reveal.

There’s been talk for a long time about who might be taking Bennington’s place in a potential Linkin Park reunion. Previously, Orgy frontman Jay Gordon let slip that he heard a woman would be taking the spot, but was quick to recant his statement, saying his comments were taken “out of context.” Then there were rumors of Evanescence‘s Amy Lee taking the reins, but that was shot down too.

Whoever it ends up being, I’m almost certain it will let down some fans that already had their hearts set on one person or another. Either way, we’ll be on the story when it breaks tomorrow.