Content Warning: The following contains mentions of sexual assault and rape.
Earlier this year, a social media influencer on TikTok outed popular contemporary Christian music singer Michael Tait as gay. The influencer, who has a controversial history of outing other public Christian figures, said the reason for revealing Tait’s sexuality was the support the Newsboys frontman had given to Donald Trump amid a rollback in protections for LGBTQ+ Americans.
Although some activists believe outing someone’s sexuality is justifiable when it exposes political or religious hypocrisy, it is largely viewed as unethical from both personal and journalistic standpoints. Because of this, many social media platforms, including TikTok, have policies against it. The post revealing Tait’s sexuality was eventually removed.
However, it remained online long enough to make the rounds. The next day, Tait announced he was stepping down from the Newsboys after 15 years.
In June, Jessica Morris published a story on The Roys Report detailing allegations of sexual grooming, assault and drug misuse by Tait. The report followed a year-long investigation. It featured testimonies from three men, who said Tait used his status in the industry to gain their trust, express personal interest in them, and then sexually grope them. One accuser said Tait offered him cocaine—which he refused—before falling asleep and waking to find Tait touching him.
A few days after the Roys Report story was released, The Guardian corroborated the core details in another report, this time naming two of the three accusers, with their permission.
Then, on Thursday, June 19, The Roys Report released another report with new allegations, this time from a woman who claims a Newsboys lighting technician raped her in a hotel room in 2014 while Tait watched. She believes Tait drugged her in the hotel bar before the alleged incident.
The latest Roys Report story includes security camera footage that corroborates many aspects of the woman’s allegations. The footage consists of an instance of Tait joking around with the technician in the hallway outside the room, at one point touching his torso and groin area.
The allegations have prompted soul-searching and highly charged conversations among CCM fans, critics and insiders. The central question many are asking: Who knew what, and when? The Roys Report opened its first report with the line, “It’s been called Nashville’s worst-kept secret,” implying rumors of Tait’s behavior had long circulated. Others have suggested the “secret” referred simply to his sexuality.
What’s clear is that CCM executives and musicians must be transparent about what exactly the “worst-kept secret” was. This includes anyone associated with the Newsboys and DC Talk, the latter being the 1990s “rap, rock and soul” juggernaut in which Tait rose to prominence.
There are two stories here, and only one is related to Tait’s sexuality.
The first story is broader: how the CCM industry enforces strict gatekeeping that excludes artists whose personal lives fall outside “straight white Republican Jesus” values. That includes not only LGBTQ+ individuals but also those who express solidarity with them.
Popular CCM star Lauren Daigle received backlash in the industry after appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Even the CCM queen Amy Grant—long viewed with suspicion by her conservative fans—drew criticism when it was revealed that she and her husband, Vince Gill, had hosted her niece’s wedding to another woman on their family farm.
CCM executives often claim they are simply reflecting the values of their audience. What they overlook is that they are also shaping those values—often at the expense of queer artists and fans. This is a generational pattern, and Tait’s story is just one small page among many chapters.
The second and more urgent story is not about who knew Tait was gay. It’s about who knew of his alleged abuse. Tait may deserve sympathy for the pressures of concealing his identity during his long CCM career, but he must also be held accountable for the harm he caused—and others must be accountable for the harm they enabled.
Hayley Williams, lead singer of the band Paramore—often considered “CCM-adjacent”—publicly criticized the industry’s silence. In a social media post, she wrote: “How many stories like this from this VERY small corner of the music industry will we hear before we realize that capatalizing [sic] on people’s faith and vulnerability is the ‘sin’?”
She concluded: “I hope the CCM industry crumbles. And f— 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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Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.
