The Christian Post's top 10 news stories of 2025 (part 1)
7. Michael Tait falls from grace
CCM star Michael Tait, longtime frontman of the Newsboys and a founding member of DC Talk, faced mounting allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use in 2025 that sparked police involvement, cost his band its record deal and triggered a broader reckoning within the Christian music industry.
The scandal erupted in early June after investigative reporting detailed accusations from multiple men who said Tait made unwanted sexual advances toward them, sometimes while they were intoxicated or impaired. The allegations, which date back roughly two decades, described patterns of grooming, drug use and inappropriate behavior during tours and private encounters.
Days after the initial reports, Tait, who abruptly left the Newsboys in January 2025 after serving as frontman for 15 years, published a public statement acknowledging that many of the allegations were “largely true.”
He admitted to long-term cocaine and alcohol abuse and what he called “unwanted sensual contact” and said he had lived a “double life” for years while maintaining a prominent platform in Christian music and revealed he had spent six weeks in a Utah treatment center for addiction and emotional recovery.
While taking responsibility for much of the behavior described, the "God's Not Dead" singer disputed some details but did not specify which.
As public scrutiny intensified, additional accusers came forward. Some described being incapacitated by drugs or alcohol at the time of the encounters, while another report involved a woman who said she was drugged and raped by a Newsboys crew member during a tour.
The growing number of accounts has prompted law enforcement involvement. Police in Brentwood, Tennessee, confirmed they are reviewing at least one criminal complaint filed against Tait and have encouraged others with information to contact investigators.
The fallout within the Christian music industry has been swift. Newsboys, one of the most commercially successful and influential Christian bands of the last 30 years, was dropped by Capitol Christian Music Group following Tait’s admission.
Remaining members of Newsboys, Jeff Frankenstein, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips and Adam Agee, released a statement expressing "horror, heartbreak, and anger," and saying they felt "deceived" by Tait, who they said admitted in January to "living a double life."
"When he left the band in January, Michael confessed to us and our management that he 'had been living a double-life,'" the band wrote. "But we never imagined that it could be this bad."
Major Christian radio networks, including K-LOVE, removed both Newsboys and DC Talk songs featuring Tait from rotation. Some stations implemented broader bans on his music as additional allegations emerged.
"[We] have rested Newsboys and DC Talk from our separate Decades' streams online as we watch, pray and try to understand the situation better," a K-LOVE spokesperson told The Christian Post in June.
Some fellow musicians, like Skillet’s John Cooper, publicly condemned Tait’s actions and urged the industry to confront long-standing patterns of secrecy. Others, like “Reckless Love” singer Cory Asbury, said that people within the CCM ecosystem had been aware, to varying degrees, that something was wrong but felt unable or unwilling to speak.
Tait has not issued additional statements since his June admission. Police and industry officials say their inquiries are ongoing.
Leah Klett contributed to this report.
