Christian band addresses sex assault allegations against ex-member

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This story has been updated to clarify when Michael Tait left Newsboys and to reflect that Tait’s representatives have not responded to requests for comments.

Nashville-based Christian rockers Newsboys are responding to allegations detailed in an investigative news outlet involving their 59-year-old former lead singer, Michael Tait.

“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 said in a June 5 statement posted on the group’s Instagram account. “While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we are devastated even by the implications. 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.”

The quartet said that as husbands who are fathers of 14 children in total, they were “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.”

The Roys Report, an investigative Christian media outlet, reported allegations of sexual assault, grooming and drug abuse after a two-and-a-half year investigation. The story included accounts by three men who befriended Tait during Christian music tours in 2004, 2010, and 2014. They were all 22 at the time of their first interaction.

Tait has not been charged. He has not responded to the allegations or the statement from his former bandmates. The Tennessean has reached out to Dan Pitts of True Artist Management, Tait’s manager during his tenure with Newsboys and has not yet heard back.

The Newsboys’ attorney, Sam Lipshie, responded to The Tennessean’s request for comment by referencing the band’s statement. The band was founded in Queensland, Australia in 1985 and is now based in Nashville. 

Tait told the band he had ‘been living a double-life’

Tait joined The Newsboys in 2009 and was lead vocalist for 15 years. In January 2025 he announced in a statement to his Instagram account that he was leaving the band.

“Fifteen years ago, my life was forever changed when I received the invite to step into the role of lead singer for Newsboys. The years since have been some of the most fulfilling, faith-filled, and rewarding years of my life. I have been on an amazing journey all over the globe, performing and ministering to people of all ages, races, and backgrounds,” Tait’s statement said before announcing his decision to step down from the group.

“The decision does not come lightly and has been a shock to even myself, but amidst prayer and fasting, I have clarity that this is the right decision,” the statement said.

In their June 5 statement regarding the allegations, Tait’s former bandmates, Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis and Adam Agee, said that when he left the band, Tait “confessed” to them and their management that he “had been living a double life.”

Upon the 2021 release of “Stand,” their 20th studio album, the band spoke with The Tennessean and discussed their collaboration with Grammy-winner Tait, formerly of DC Talk, who joined the band in 2009.