Paramore singer Hayley Williams has reacted angrily to reports that Christian music star Michael Tait has been accused of sexual assaults in his past relationships with young men, writing in an Instagram post: “I hope the CCM industry crumbles. And fuck all of you who knew and didn’t do a damn thing.”
While excoriating those in the Christian music business she believes covered up Tait’s alleged behavior, she also shows some sympathy for the former Newsboys and DC Talk singer, saying he has spent decades in the limelight denying his sexual identity and “needing gay-affirming support. Because this is a man whose entire faith identity is built upon a faulty structure of self-hatred, to please a system that would rather cover up abhorrent behavior for 20+ years (and make money off of it) rather than accept that being gay is not the problem.”
While Williams has not been part of the Christian music business, she grew up around faith-based music communities in the Nashville area, and brings that perspective to her fiery missive about the Tait scandal.
“The amount of things I have to say and the amount of people i know who were likely changed forever by this man and by the industry that empowered/enabled him… and no one but the TikToker who broke this story has said a word about Michael Tait needing gay-affirming support,” Williams says at the beginning of her message.
The singer’s text overlays an image of a story published Friday in England’s Guardian newspaper further investigating the allegations against Tait, who this week posted a “confession” that in a broad sense admitted to some of the charges being made against him, saying they were “largely true,” without getting specific.
After writing that “being gay is not the problem,” the Paramore singer further wrote, “I grew up around this. I am not afraid of any of these people — most of them have written me off anyway by now. How many stories like this from this VERY small corner of the music industry will we hear before we realize that capitalizing on people’s faith and vulnerability is the ‘sin.’”
She concludes her message by saying: “I hope the CCM industry crumbles. And fuck all of you who knew and didn’t do a damn thing. I bet I’ve got your number. And btw if you’re not angry too then maybe it’s time to question why.”
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The Guardian piece that came out Friday, which prompted Williams’ response, largely confirms reporting that was published earlier this month by the Roys Report about Tait, whose two Christian supergroups are said to have collectively sold 18 million albums over the last 35-plus years.
Two of the alleged victims the Guardian spoke with gave their names for this latest piece, while others shared their experiences on the condition of anonymity. The alleged victims were 13 to 29 at the time of their encounters with Tait, and the newspaper described them as evangelical youth who “were starstruck when meeting their childhood hero, but quickly saw their image of him as a role model of Christian piety dissolve as they were taken on a bumpy ride of rock ’n’ roll debauchery.”
In January, Tait suddenly quit the Grammy-winning group he had been a part of since 2009, Newboys, in the middle of tour dates, and with a new album about to come out. Although his fellow band members claimed they were in the dark at the time about exactly what was troubling their departing lead singer, his resignation was reported to have come a day after he was identified as gay by the TikTok influencer Williams refers to, Azariah Southworth, who is known for outing people in the closet about their sexuality.
That TikTok post was quickly taken down, although not before being widely seen and talked about. In the aftermath, Christian music fans who weren’t aware of the post were left in the dark about why the singer — who first became famous as part of the multi-platinum trio DC Talk in the ’90s — would have taken leave of his position so abruptly, leaving a lesser-known member of the group to step up as the group’s lead singer and re-record Tait’s parts on an impending studio album as well as go out on tour.
The situation broke wide open on June 4 when a Christian investigative reporting site, the Roys Report, published a lengthy article said to be the result of two and a half years of looking into Tait’s alleged sexual advances on young men and drug abuse. The story called Tait’s proclivities “Nashville’s worst-kept secrets” and said their reporting was the result of speaking with more than 50 sources, including three men who alleged that they had subject to sexual advances or actual assault by Tait.
The Newsboys issued a statement in response to the Roys Report article, 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.”
Then on June 10, just shy of a week after the explosive Roys Report article, Tait posted his “confession” on social media. “Recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity are sadly, largely true,” Tait wrote 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… 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.”
Reactions among Christian music fans and the industry ranged from applause and forgiveness for Tait for admitting his “sin” to concern that the statement did not show enough concern for victims, or specificity about what he had or had not done. Amid the polarized reactions to Tait himself was anger generally directed at the industry for not previously having investigated whispers that had circulated for years, or decades. There was also speculation about whether the singer would address whether he is gay, be it proudly or ashamedly. Publicly embracing that sexual identity would represent a big leap for Tait, who has publicly been unabashedly conservative in both his theological and conservative views, including endorsing and standing alongside President Trump.
The fresh Guardian article corroborates but goes beyond the Roys Report piece, with statements like those of Shawn Davis, who believes that Tate drugged and then molested him in 2003 when he was a minor and now says, “This man destroyed my life.” The paper printed a vintage photo of a Mohawk-bearing Davis posing with Tait years ago. Other alleged victims use pseudonyms to describe being groped by Tait while they were in a hot tub or in bed.
The Guardian says that Tait did not respond to these latest allegations. Variety has been unable to reach representatives for the singer or his former band. Capitol Christian Music Group, which currently has Newsboys on its roster, has so far not commented on the scandal.
A Canadian tour that was to be undertaken by the remaining members of Newsboys was canceled before the scandal broke, reportedly due to low ticket sales after it became known Tait would not be appearing. A U.S. tour for the abridged lineup is still being promoted on the band’s website as getting underway June 22.
The group may face a tough road ahead commercially, as the K-LOVE chain of stations, the largest Christian music radio chain in the nation, announced it was putting all music by DC Talk and Newsboys on hold, presumably including material recorded before and after Tait was in the latter group. Newboys have been a popular act in the genre since the late ’80s, with Tait — already famous from his DC Talk stint — giving the group a second life and fresh success after original frontman Peter Furler left 16 years ago.
From Variety US