Chad Kroger knows people are making fun of Nickelback, and he doesn’t want to hear it anymore.
The band was at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday for the world premiere of their new documentary, Nickelback: Hate to Love, which, as the title suggests, examines the long-running backlash Nickelback has received from online jokesters.
“I’m Over It”
When asked by PEOPLE why he was initially hesitant to address the negativity aimed at his band, Kroger responded by taking the reporter’s recorder and acting as if he were conducting the interview.
“If somebody stuck that thing in your face every single day and said, ‘The whole world hates you like this, the whole world hates you. What do you have to say about that?” he asked. “Every single day. Every day. Would there be reluctance on your behalf to talk about it? [Would] you get pissed off? [Would] you be over it after a while?”
Kroger declared, “I’m over it.”

Says To Watch Documentary That Addresses Negativity Surrounding Nickelback
“We made a documentary, everybody can watch it,” he continued. “And now from this day forward, if anybody asks that question in the press, it’s like that’s the end of the interview. So if you want to end an interview, that’s all you have to say and that will be it.”
The band explained that Kroger was initially reluctant to use the film to discuss the backlash the band has received until a conversation with band member Ryan Peake.
“We get to take the narrative,” Peake said. “We get to actually tell our version — it’s like you turn the cheek for as much as you can, and then at some point it’s like, here’s our take on it.”
Tall Poppy Syndrome
Kroger’s brother and the band’s bassist, Michael Kroeger, put the hate down to what he calls Tall Poppy Syndrome. “When the tall poppy gets too tall, somebody’s got to cut it down to size and everybody’s willing to jump in, especially when they can be anonymous cowards,” he explained.
In the documentary, Michael posits that some people dislike the band due to their lyrics. Defending the group, he noted that “Sometimes people want to hear vacuous, dumb s–t.”
Peake admitted, “Nobody picks up a guitar to be the most hated band in the world. It doesn’t feel great.” His children also made a brief cameo in the documentary, with his son Dax noting, “Everyone hated the band, so everyone hated us.”

Negatively Affected Chad Kroeger’s Mental Health
Mike added that the pushback Nickelback received “really sucked in the beginning” and negatively affected Chad’s mental health, sharing that his brother had “thin skin.”
Drummer Daniel Adair recalled Chad “blowing up” in a dressing room over the long-running hatred on one tour after he had experienced people rolling down their car windows and shouting “f— you” at him as they drove by.
For his part, Chad shared, “I play Nickelback songs for Nickelback fans. I don’t have to try to win anybody over”
Along with their onetime status as a punchline, Nickelback: Hate to Love also charts that band’s career, from their beginnings in Alberta, Canada to the arena-filling band they are today. The documentary does not yet have a release date.
Get Rollin’ Tour With Brantley Gilbert
Nickelback is currently on their Get Rollin’ Tour, named after their tenth studio album, Get Rollin’, which was released in November 2022. The tour began in June with support from Brantley Gilbert and Josh Ross and continues through early October.