Capitol Christian Music Group has dropped Newsboys following multiple sexual misconduct allegations against former frontman Michael Tait that surfaced earlier this month.
Current lead singer Adam Agee announced the decision during the band’s set Sunday night at Elevate Music Festival in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“As a result of all this and the things that have come out that [Tait’s] done and he’s confessed to, we’ve been dropped from our record label,” Agee told the crowd. “We’ve had radio stations pull our music. We’ve been canceled by promoters and venues all over the world.”
Agee said the band had been aware of some “personal struggles” in Tait’s life but had no idea of the severity of his behavior.
“That’s not the guy we knew,” he said. “He was our family, a friend to our families, to our kids.”
He also described how the fallout has affected the band’s loved ones.
“It just has been devastating to us, and our families have felt like our names have been dragged through the mud because of all this, and it’s really, really hurt our kids,” Agee said.
Tait, who fronted the band for 15 years, reportedly confessed to his bandmates in January that he had been “living a double life” and wanted to seek help. He played his final show with the group in November 2023.
According to The Roys Report, which was released on June 4, at least seven individuals have accused Tait of sexual misconduct, including two minors. The report includes claims that Tait used drugs and alcohol to incapacitate victims before harassing or assaulting them. Victims also alleged that Tait used his platform and spiritual authority to manipulate or silence them.
Days after the allegations became public, Tait issued a statement acknowledging the harm he caused and stating that he was seeking forgiveness and working toward reconciliation with those he hurt.
“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,” he wrote. “I was, for the most part, living two distinctly different lives. I was not the same person onstage Sunday night that I was at home on Monday. … By His grace I can say that for the past six months, I have lived a singular life, one of utter brokenness and total dependence on a loving and merciful God.”
Since the allegations became public, the Newsboys have been removed from Capitol CMG’s website and dropped from several major Christian festival lineups. Kingdom Bound Festival in New York announced it had replaced the group with Passion Music. Multiple radio stations have pulled their music, and fans have called for the remaining tour dates to be canceled.
The scandal has also reignited broader criticism of the contemporary Christian music industry’s silence around abuse and protection of high-profile artists. Christian-turned-country artist Cory Asbury commented that “everyone [in the industry] knew” about Tait’s lifestyle. And Paramore’s Hayley Williams said she hopes the industry “crumbles.”
Newsboys have not announced whether they plan to continue touring.
