Paramore singer Hayley Williams has taken aim at the Christian music industry following sexual assault allegations being levelled at singer Michael Tait.
Williams took to Instagram Stories to address the allegations made against the former Newsboys and DC Talk singer writing: “I hope the CCM industry crumbles. And fuck all of you who knew and didn’t do a damn thing.”
While slamming the industry, she also sympathised with Tait, 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 behaviour for 20+ years (and make money off of it) rather than accept that being gay is not the problem,” Williams wrote, giving her perspective of having grown up around faith-based music communities in the Nashville area.
“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 ended the post writing: “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.”
Williams’ text was overlayed atop 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.
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The story featured two of Tait’s alleged victims who gave their names for the piece, while others shared their experience anonymously, largely confirming reports published earlier in June by the Roys Report.
His alleged victims were aged between 13 to 29 at the time of their encounters, and described by the newspaper 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.”
Tait suddenly quit the Queensland-formed Newsboys in January in the midst of a tour and with an album due to come out, having replaced the original Australian lead singer in 2009. While the other band members claimed to be in the dark about what had caused the lead singer’s departure, it reportedly came the day after he was identified as gay by TikTok influencer Azariah Southworth.
The situation broke wide open on June 4th when a Christian investigative reporting site, the Roys Report, published a lengthy article said to be the result of a two and a half investigation into Tait’s alleged sexual advances on young men and drug abuse. The story called Tait’s allegations as “Nashville’s worst-kept secrets” and said their reporting included speaking with more than 50 sources, including three men who alleged that they were subject to sexual advances or actual assault by Tait.
In response to the article, the Newsboys issued a statement last week that read: “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.”
The Guardian article goes further with the allegations, with statements from alleged victims such as Shawn Davis who claims Tate drugged and then molested him in 2003 when he was a minor .
Tone Deaf has approached Newsboys’ management for comment.
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 and is scheduled to start on June 22nd.
