The accusations against Michael Tait, the former lead singer of the Newsboys and co-founder of DC Talk, involve claims by eight men that he drugged, groped, or sexually assaulted them between 1998 and 2014. Reported in June and July 2025 by The Roys Report and The Guardian, the accounts prompted a public confession from Tait in which he admitted to two decades of cocaine and alcohol abuse and to touching men sexually without their consent. A Brentwood, Tennessee police inquiry later concluded the alleged crimes were not prosecutable because they fell outside the statute of limitations or outside the department’s jurisdiction. No criminal charges have been filed, and no accuser has sued Tait.
What the Accusers Said
The first detailed public reporting came on June 4, 2025, when The Roys Report, a Christian investigative outlet, published a two-and-a-half-year investigation led by journalist Jessica Morris. The reporting drew on more than 50 sources and described a pattern of grooming and assault reaching back two decades.1The Roys Report. Former Newsboys Frontman Michael Tait Accused of Sexual Assault, Grooming, Substance Abuse Dating Back to 2004
Three men identified by the pseudonyms “Phillip,” “Steven,” and “Taylor” gave firsthand accounts. Each was roughly 22 years old at the time. Phillip alleged that in 2004, while sharing a bed at Tait’s house, Tait massaged his buttocks and placed his fingers in his anal region, and that Tait exposed himself to him. Steven alleged that in 2010, Tait invited him to his Brentwood home, poured him bourbon, then fondled his genitals and kissed him while he was intoxicated and in what he described as a “freeze response.” Taylor, a Newsboys tour crew member, alleged that in 2014 Tait offered him cocaine on the tour bus and that he later woke to find Tait rubbing his genitals through his clothing. The reporting was corroborated by statements from associates, verified text messages, and what the outlet described as security reports and photographs from the Christian music tour circuit.1The Roys Report. Former Newsboys Frontman Michael Tait Accused of Sexual Assault, Grooming, Substance Abuse Dating Back to 2004
Nine days later, The Guardian published its own investigation, built on months of reporting and interviews with 25 people in the Christian music industry, and documented additional accounts dating between 2001 and 2009.2The Guardian. Michael Tait Sexual Assault Allegations A July 29, 2025 follow-up brought the number of public accusers to eight.3The Guardian. Michael Tait Christian Rock Star Sexual Assault Allegations
Among those on the record:
- Jason Jones, the founding manager of the band Evanescence, said that in late 1998 Tait drugged him at his home and performed oral sex on him while he was incapacitated. Jones said he verbally and physically resisted three times before Tait stopped.
- Randall Crawford, a Christian musician and former friend of Tait, said that in the fall of 2000, Tait gave him a shot of whiskey he believes was drugged. Crawford said he came to and found Tait performing sexual acts on him, then fled and does not remember the drive home.4Baptist News Global. Two More Men Accuse Michael Tait of Sexual Assault
- Shawn Davis said Tait drugged and raped him in 2003.5People. Michael Tait Sexual Assault Accusers Claim He Destroyed Their Lives
Separate reporting also described a female accuser who said Tait supplied a sedative to a Newsboys tour crew member who then raped her in a hotel room in 2014 while Tait watched.3The Guardian. Michael Tait Christian Rock Star Sexual Assault Allegations Anonymous sources described a recurring pattern in which Tait pressured young men into sexual activity in a hot tub at his Nashville-area home during the 1990s.
Tait’s Confession
On June 10, 2025, Tait posted a 630-word statement on Instagram titled “My Confession.” He acknowledged that reports about his behavior were “sadly, largely true.”6The Tennessean. Christian Singer Michael Tait Newsboys Assault Abuse Allegations Response
“For some two decades I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol, and, at times, touched men in an unwanted sensual way,” he wrote. “I am ashamed of my life choices and actions and make no excuses for them. I will simply call it what God calls it — sin.”7WORLD News Group. Christian Music Singer Michael Tait Confesses to Double Life He said he had been “living two distinctly different lives” and was “not the same person on stage Sunday night as I was at home on Monday.”8CBN News. Michael Tait Confesses Allegations Sexual Misconduct and Drug Abuse
Addressing the accusations, Tait wrote: “While I might dispute certain details in the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them.” He said he would pursue “the hard work of repentance and healing” quietly and away from the stage.2The Guardian. Michael Tait Sexual Assault Allegations He has not spoken publicly since and has not answered reporters’ questions about the specific allegations.
The confession followed a sudden departure. On January 16, 2025, Tait had abruptly left the Newsboys days before a major tour, telling fans the decision came “amidst prayer and fasting.”9Christian Post. CCM Star Michael Tait Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Drug Use He later said he spent six weeks at a treatment facility in Utah. The exit was preceded by a viral TikTok from podcaster Azariah Southworth, who said in January 2025 that Tait was gay and that staying quiet would “allow a false narrative to continue.”2The Guardian. Michael Tait Sexual Assault Allegations
Why No Criminal Charges Were Filed
Shawn Davis began working with the Brentwood Police Department in Tennessee to pursue charges, saying his goal was “to see him go to prison.”10Christian Post. Michael Tait Accuser Pursues Criminal Charges Against Singer Randall Crawford and Jason Jones also engaged with law enforcement.11Bishop Accountability. Police Launch Preliminary Michael Tait Investigation In August 2025, Brentwood police publicly asked potential survivors to come forward.12The Tennessean. Newsboys Michael Tait Brentwood Police Victims
After a preliminary investigation that included interviews with each accuser and a review by the local district attorney, the department concluded the accusations “did not appear to be prosecutable.” Of seven cases reviewed, each either fell outside Tennessee’s statute of limitations or occurred outside the department’s jurisdiction. Those who had come forward were told charges were unlikely.13WORLD News Group. Police Likely No Prosecution for Former Newsboys Singer Tait Tait, who has moved away from the Brentwood area, faces no criminal charges, and none of his accusers have filed civil suits against him.
Fallout for the Newsboys and the Christian Music Industry
On June 5, 2025, Newsboys members Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips, and new lead vocalist Adam Agee released a joint statement saying their “hearts were shattered.” They called themselves “horrified, heartbroken, and angry” and said they felt “deceived for the last fifteen years.” The band urged additional victims to come forward and disclosed that Tait had earlier told them and management he had been “living a double life,” without explaining what that meant.14Christian Post. Newsboys Respond to Allegations Against Michael Tait Agee later said members had “heard rumors over the years” but had been unable to verify them.15Variety. Hayley Williams Christian Music Crumbles Michael Tait CCM
The commercial consequences came quickly. On June 9, 2025, K-LOVE, the largest Christian music radio network in the United States, announced it was “resting” all music by Newsboys and DC Talk. “As the investigation proceeds, our prayers are with all those involved,” a spokesperson said.16Christian Post. K-LOVE Pulls Newsboys, DC Talk Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations Other Christian stations followed.
On June 22, 2025, the Newsboys announced during a performance at the Elevate Music Festival in Arizona that Capitol Christian Music Group had dropped them.17Billboard. Newsboys Dropped From Label After Michael Tait Allegations The Guardian reported that most of the 25 industry figures it interviewed said they had heard about Tait’s conduct before publication, and multiple observers described the behavior as the “biggest open secret in Christian music.”2The Guardian. Michael Tait Sexual Assault Allegations CCM historian Leah Payne told Christianity Today the industry has few real checks on artist behavior: “A lot of Christian record labels have had morality clauses, but the only real guardrail is the marketplace. The dollar is the governing body.”18Christianity Today. Newsboys Scandal Michael Tait CCM Accountability Moral Guardrails
The Campbell Defamation Lawsuit
On April 29, 2026, Wes Campbell, the co-founder and longtime manager of the Newsboys, along with the band itself, filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The complaint runs more than 265 pages and names 33 defendants, including the band MercyMe and its frontman Bart Millard, the charity World Vision, concert promoters tied to Dutch private equity firm Waterland, and The Roys Report and its journalists.19Variety. Newsboys Lawsuit MercyMe Christian World Vision Michael Tait
The suit alleges defamation and antitrust violations, claiming the defendants coordinated to destroy Campbell’s touring business and block a $50 million acquisition. Its centerpiece, which the plaintiffs call the “Fargo Fabrication,” challenges The Roys Report‘s account of a 2014 encounter in a Fargo hotel room involving a woman and a lighting technician. The plaintiffs allege the encounter was consensual, that local police were told so, and that the outlet omitted that information.20Ministry Watch. Newsboys Founder Wes Campbell Files Defamation Lawsuit Over Michael Tait Stories
Julie Roys of The Roys Report called the claims “baseless” and said the reporting was “carefully reported, based on multiple independent sources and corroborated before publication.” She said the outlet would seek dismissal under Texas’ anti-SLAPP statute if the case proceeded against it.21Christian Post. Newsboys Owner Sue MercyMe, Concert Promoters, and Media Outlets The lawsuit does not target the initial June 2025 Roys Report stories about Tait’s alleged assaults on men; it concerns the later Fargo reporting. The case remains pending.