(CP) Christian rock band Newsboys has issued a strongly worded statement in response to explosive allegations of sexual misconduct and drug abuse against their former frontman, Michael Tait, calling the allegations “devastating” and urging anyone affected to come forward.
“Last night our hearts were shattered when we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions by our former lead singer, Michael Tait,” the band wrote in a statement Thursday afternoon. “While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we are devastated even by the implications.”
The comments follow the publication of a two-and-a-half-year investigation by The Roys Report, which included accounts from multiple men who say Tait, former lead singer of DC Talk and Newsboys, groomed and assaulted them while touring in the Christian music industry.
The incidents allegedly occurred between 2004 and 2014. Tait has not responded publicly to the claims.
In their statement, Newsboys members Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips and Adam Agee expressed solidarity with the alleged victims.
"We absolutely do not condone any form of sexual assault," they said.
“The four of us are husbands and fathers. Between the four of us, we have fourteen children,” they said. “Our wives and children have made many sacrifices while we have dedicated our lives to playing music together that glorifies God. We are horrified, heartbroken, and angry at this report and in many ways, we feel as if we and our families have been deceived for the last fifteen years.”
Tait, who joined Newsboys in 2009 after achieving stardom with DC Talk, abruptly stepped down from the band in January. At the time, his departure was framed as a personal decision rooted in prayer and reflection.
In an interview last month, Agee told The Christian Post the former DC Talk singer surprised them with the news of his departure and simply told the band “he was going to focus on himself.”
“I know that he left and he just gave us a few reasons why he was stepping down, and he just said he's going to focus on himself,” Agee said. “Other than that, I don't really know, because we didn't really discuss it further. Hopefully, he'll make some kind of a statement soon, but that, again, is just up to him. We wish it had happened a little bit sooner, but there's nothing we can do about that, and I think we've tried to make the most out of it, and we wish him all the best moving forward.”
However, the remaining band members now say Tait privately admitted to leading a “double-life.”
“When he left the band in January, Michael confessed to us and our management that he ‘had been living a double-life,’” the band wrote. “But we never imagined that it could be this bad.”
Published Wednesday evening, The Roys Report article detailed allegations from at least three men, each 22 years old at the time of their alleged encounters with Tait, who claim the singer groomed and sexually assaulted them in separate incidents occurring in 2004, 2010 and 2014.
In each case, the alleged victims say they were befriended by Tait while working in or around the Christian music industry and described situations involving alcohol, unsolicited physical contact, and, in one case, an offer of cocaine aboard a tour bus.
Two of the men alleged they woke up to Tait fondling them after a night of drinking. Another said Tait massaged him in a hot tub and later in bed without consent, allegedly touching his anal region during the encounter. None of the alleged victims, who used pseudonyms in the report, filed police reports at the time but said they are now speaking out to help protect others.
According to the report, some of the incidents took place at Tait’s home in Brentwood, Tennessee, while others occurred on the road during Newsboys tours. In the most recent case from 2014, a former Newsboys crew member alleged Tait groped him while he was asleep on the band’s tour bus, following a night of heavy drinking.
The Roys Report also cited multiple sources who corroborated a pattern of excessive alcohol use and substance abuse by Tait during his time with the band.
The allegations against Tait, which The Roys Report referred to as "Nashville's worst-kept secret," have sent shockwaves through the Christian music industry, where he was long considered a pioneering and influential voice. His work with DC Talk in the 1990s helped bring contemporary Christian music to the mainstream, and his tenure with Newsboys contributed to multiple chart-topping albums and appearances in the popular “God’s Not Dead” film series.
As of Thursday afternoon, Tait has not issued a public comment or posted to his social media accounts.
