Christian Music Star Michael Tait Confesses to Unwanted Sexual Advances on Men and Cocaine Use: ‘I Was Living Two Distinctly Different Lives'

Yahoo

a day ago

Michael Tait, who became a Grammy-winning star in the Christian music world as a member of DC Talk in the '90s, and continued that hit streak in recent years with a long stint as lead singer for the group Newsboys, has issued a 'confession' on social media in which he admits that allegations of unwanted groping of young men and drug use contained in a recent investigative report were largely true.
'Recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity are sadly, largely true,' Tait wrote in a post on his Instagram account. 'For some two decades I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol, and, at times, touched men in an unwanted sensual way. 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. I don't blame anyone or anything but myself. While I might dispute certain details in the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them…
'I'm ashamed to admit that for years I have lied and deceived my family, friends, fans, and even misled my bandmates about aspects of my life,' Tait continued. I' was, for the most part, living two distinctly different lives. I was not the same person on stage Sunday night that I was at home on Monday. I was violating everything I was raised to believe by my God-fearing Dad and Mom, about walking with Jesus and was grieving the very God I loved and sang about for most of my life.'
Tait abruptly quit Newsboys in January, setting off a round of speculation about what went down that escalated over the past five months. His former band has tried to soldier on with a replacement singer for a new album and tour, while some fans balked at the prospect of concert dates proceedinn without Tate, asking questions about the abrupt departure of a singer who'd been the face of the veteran group for the last 16 years.
The mystery came into clearer focus on June 4 when a Christian site that publishes investigative stories, the Roys Report, published a lengthy article about what it called 'Nashville's worst-kept secret,' saying that a two-and-a-half-year investigation involving interviews with more than 50 sources showed a pattern of 'predatory grooming' as well as drug abuse on Tait's part.
The day after the Roys Report story exploded through the Christian music world, Newsboys issued a statement on the band's Instagram, writing: 'When he left the band in January, Michael confessed to us and our management that he 'had been living a double-life' but we never imagined that it could be this bad.' The remaining group members said they had not heard from Tait about the exact allegations, but wrote that 'our hearts were shattered when we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions… First and foremost, our hearts are with the victims who have bravely shared their stories. If you are a victim, we urge you to come forward. We absolutely do not condone any form of sexual assault.' Adam Agee, a band member who stepped into the lead singer role, wrote separately on Facebook that the group members 'heard rumors over the years,' but that 'each time something came up we tried to find the source and no one would tell us.'
In his Instagram statement, Tait said that he had entered treatment following his exit from Newsboys and was now clean and sober. 'When I abruptly left Newsboys in January I did so to get help,' he wrote. 'I was not healthy, physically or spiritually, and was tired of leading a double life. I spent six weeks at a treatment center in Utah, receiving help that may have saved my life from ultimate destruction. I have been clean and sober since, though I still have lots of hard work ahead of me.'
The initial Roys Report story said that three men who had spoken with the reporter 'alleg(ed) that Tait befriended them individually on Christian music tours in 2004, 2010, and 2014. They were all 22 years old at the time… Two men stated that they were drinking alcohol with Tait and later woke to him fondling their genitals. One alleged Tait also offered him cocaine while on the Newsboys tour bus. The third told TRR that Tait gave him a back massage while skinny dipping and later invited him to share his king-size bed. There, Tait allegedly non-consensually massaged his anal region.'
On Monday, K-LOVE, the nation's biggest Christian radio chain with 400 stations in 48 states, announced that it was putting a pause on airplay for all releases from Newsboys (including, apparently, records the band put out before and after Tait's tenure) and DC Talk.
'We are aware of the allegations against Michael Tait, former frontman of the Newsboys,' a K-LOVE rep was quoted told the Roys Report. 'As the investigation proceeds, our prayers are with all those involved. In the meantime, our programming team is resting Newsboys and DC Talk music on our stream.' A handful of other Christian stations had preceded K-LOVE in pulling music by the two groups.
Newboys recently publicly traded blame with a promoter about the cancellation of a Canadian tour, with the group claiming the promoter was in over its head and the company that canceled the outing indicating in return that ticket sales were suffering after Tait's sudden exit. A U.S. tour was still on the books for summer as of Tuesday, with fans online offering mixed responses about whether they were eager to see the group continue with another member of the band taking over lead vocals or not.
Representatives for the band and Tait could not be reached for comment.
DC Talk was one of the most popular acts in the history of CCM (contemporary Christian music), as the genre is often called. The hip-hop-inflected pop group's most popular album, 1995's 'Jesus Freak,' was certified triple-platinum and spent 79 weeks on the Billboard 200. The trio officially went on hiatus in 2001, with Tait, Kevin Max and Toby Mac all moving on to successful careers apart from one another.
Newboys had a record of decades of success before Tait joined. With Peter Furler as their original lead singer, they formed in Australia in the mid-'80s and moved to Nashville in the early '90s. Furler left the group and was replaced by Tait in 2009. With their new singer bringing over much of the DC Talk fan base, Newsboys managed to have four No. 1 albums on the Christian charts during his tenure. The group was featured in the evangelistic theatrical drama 'God's Not Dead,' named after their 2011 hit album.
The complete text of Tait's statement on Instagram follows:
'Recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity are sadly, largely true. For some two decades I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol, and, at times, touched men in an unwanted sensual way. 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. I don't blame anyone or anything but myself. While I might dispute certain details in the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them.
'When I abruptly left Newsboys in January I did so to get help. I was not healthy, physically or spiritually, and was tired of leading a double life. I spent six weeks at a treatment center in Utah, receiving help that may have saved my life from ultimate destruction. I have been clean and sober since, though I still have lots of hard work ahead of me.
'I'm ashamed to admit that for years I have lied and deceived my family, friends, fans, and even misled my bandmates about aspects of my life. I was, for the most part, living two distinctly different lives. I was not the same person on stage Sunday night that I was at home on Monday. I was violating everything I was raised to believe by my God-fearing Dad and Mom, about walking with Jesus and was grieving the very God I loved and sang about for most of my life. By His grace, I can say that for the past six months, I have lived a singular life-one of utter brokenness and total dependance on a loving and merciful God.
'I have hurt so many people in so many ways, and I will live with that shameful reality the rest of my life. I can only dream and pray for human forgiveness, because I certainly don't deserve it. I have even accepted the thought that God may be the only One who ultimately and completely forgives me. Still, I want to say I'm sorry to everyone I have hurt. I am truly sorry. It is my hope and prayer that all those I have hurt will receive healing, mercy, and hope from the Merciful Healer and Hope-Giver.
'Even before this recent news became public, I had started on a path to health, healing, and wholeness, thanks to a small circle of clinical health professionals, loving family, caring friends, and wise counselors -all of whom saw my brokenness and surrounded me with love, grace, and prayer. Sin is a terrible thing, taking us where we don't want to go; keeping us longer than we want to stay; and costing us more than we want to pay. I accept the consequences of my sin and am committed to continuing the hard work of repentance and healing-work I will do quietly and privately, away from the stage and the spotlight.To the extent my sinful behavior has caused anyone to lose respect or faith or trust in me, I understand, deserve, and accept that. But it crushes me to think that someone would lose or choose not to pursue faith and trust in Jesus because I have been a horrible representative of Him-for He alone is ultimately the only hope for any of us.
'King David's prayer of repentance in Psalm 51 has been my prayer this year: 'Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness… Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me… Create in me a new heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.'
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