Christian music star Michael Tait has been accused of sexually assaulting three men and engaging in inappropriate behavior with numerous others.
Tait, 59, a fixture in the Christian music world since his rise with the bands DC Talk and Newsboys, allegedly abused drugs and exhibited a “predatory pattern” of behavior toward younger men, according to a report by the Christian outlet The Roys Report and an investigation published Friday by The Guardian.
The Grammy-winning musician admitted to living a “double life” in an Instagram post titled “My Confession” shared Tuesday—acknowledging behavior that starkly contradicted the values of Christian piety he promoted through his music.
“Recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity are sadly, largely true,” Tait wrote. “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 continued, “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.”
“While I might dispute certain details in the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them,” he said.
Tait has been a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump within the evangelical community. In 2019, he joined other evangelical leaders in signing a letter condemning Christianity Today after the magazine backed Trump’s first impeachment, and he performed for Trump at the White House that same year.
The D.C.-native joined the president on stage at a Miami “Evangelicals for Trump” rally in 2020, at the invitation of Paula White—Trump’s longtime spiritual adviser and head of the White House faith office.
At the same time, Newsboys’ 2011 hit “God’s Not Dead” has taken on a second life as an anthem of the MAGA movement. Trump supporters chanted the song during the “Jericho March” that took place the day before the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to The Guardian. Tait urged supporters to vote for Trump in 2024, Variety said.
According to The Guardian’s report, most of the alleged incidents occurred between 2001 and 2009, often involving starstruck fans raised on Tait’s brand of Christian piety.
Two men believe Tait drugged and molested them in the early 2000s The Guardian reported.
“This man destroyed my life,” Shawn Davis told the outlet. He was still a minor when he says Tait pushed him to use cocaine and, one night, put something in his drink.
“Suddenly, I felt super sick, dizzy, nauseous, going in and out of consciousness,” he said. “I woke up in the closet, and he had my pants down, and was giving me a blowjob.”
A third man alleged that Tait groped him in a hot tub after using cocaine. All three men grew up in evangelical churches, where Tait’s music—focused on abstinence, sobriety, and heterosexuality—served as a cultural soundtrack, according to The Guardian.
Others claim Tait made unwanted sexual advances after dangling his fame and career opportunities in front of them—many of them being young musicians seeking a break in the industry.
“I have hurt so many people in so many ways, and I will live with that shameful reality the rest of my life,” Tait said in his Instagram post. “I can only dream and pray for human forgiveness, because I certainly don’t deserve it.”
He claimed that “even before this recent news became public,” he had “started on a path to health, healing, and wholeness” with the help of clinical health professionals.
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