Former Newsboys Lead Singer Michael Tait Was Accused Multiple Sexual Assault Allegations

Singer Michael Tait rose to fame in 2009 as the lead singer of the Christian rock band Newsboys. The band, which had been around since 1985, found more success with Michael, who was also in the Christian group DC Talk, as its frontman, putting out several albums, including Born Again, God's Not Dead, and Restart.

In 2025, Michael left Newsboys after nearly two decades with the band. His exit came amid him being accused of multiple cases of sexual assault. Here's everything to know about Michael's allegations.

Michael's allegations of sexual assault, drug abuse, and grooming were first reported by Christian media outlet The Roys Report. In June 2025, the outlet shared details of the case, which they found during a two-and-a-half-year investigation of the singer. In the report, Michael was accused of allegedly abusing alcohol and drugs before inappropriately touching several people. The allegations came from three men who alleged they befriended him between 2004, 2010, and 2014, when they were all 22.

The men accusing Michael of abuse each stated he took their friendly relationship too far. Two of the men stated that they were drinking alcohol with Tait and later woke to him fondling their genitals. Another said Michael allegedly offered him cocaine while they were on a tour bus, while a third accuser claimed gave him a back massage while skinny dipping and later invited him to share his king-size bed, where he allegedly non-consensually massaged his anal region.

Michael didn't address the sexual assaualt allegations publicly right away. However, his former Newsboys bandmates, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein and Adam Agee, shared their thoughts in a June 2025 Instagram post. In the post, they shared that while they didn't know the details surrounding Michael's allegations, he confided in them that he had another side to him.

"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 band wrote in the lengthy message.

Michael's sexual assault allegations came months after he left Newsboys. His departure came around the same time TikToker Azariah Southworth made a viral TikTok accusing him of being gay. The TikTok was removed after it reached over 250,000 views for “violent extremism.” Soon after the TikTok surfaced, Michael confirmed his departure from Newsboys, though he didn't address Azariah's allegations.

“While this may come to as a surprise given I’ve been touring ever since college, I’ve made for me what is a monumental and heartfelt decision that it is time to step down from Newsboys," he shared with his fans in January 2025. "This 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.”

Newsboys also said in the band's June 2025 Instagram post about the allegations that they were "devastated even by the implications" of Michael's alleged behavior. The band also sared that, as husbands and fathers, "our hearts are with the victims who have bravely shared their stories."

"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," they added.