The founding manager of the Grammy Award-winning band Evanescence has come forward claiming ex-Newsboys and DC Talk frontman Michael Tait drugged and sexually assaulted him in the late ’90s, according to a Guardian report.
Jason Jones, former manager of Evanescence, and songwriter/producer Randall Crawford both say they experienced alleged sexual misconduct by Tait during the height of his career in the late 1990s.
These are just the latest accusations against Tait, which have been corroborated by reports from several different news outlets.
In their interview with the Guardian, the two described how they became drawn to the then-DC Talk singer, but later became alleged victims of unwanted sexual advances from him.
“Jones was thrilled to be welcomed into Tait’s inner circle, yet he was taken aback by what he described as Tait’s proclivity for randomly grabbing other men’s genitals. He said he eventually learned that Tait was living a double-life as a closeted gay man…” reads the report.
“While surprised, Jones held no negative feelings toward Tait’s sexuality, even taking him to gay clubs in Little Rock (at Tait’s request) when DC Talk performed there,” it continued.
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Jones described himself as an evangelical Christian from Alabama who was trying to break into the music industry in Nashville.
“I had this band that I was trying to take places,” Jones recalled. “And (Tait) had the power to open doors for us in the industry. So I went along with whatever, but didn’t know what it would cost me.”
Jones recalled that one night in late 1998, he partied with Tait at his house. He recalled suddenly feeling tired, and Tait offered his bedroom for Jones to rest.
“I felt honored that he felt that close to me, that he trusted me enough to let me sleep in his bed,” Jones said, adding, “I believe that Michael Tait drugged me.”
He told the Guardian that what took place that night destroyed him.
“I was achieving my dreams at an early age, and Tait changed all that,” he said. “I hid away after that…I started snorting meth, then smoking it.”
Crawford recounted a similar experience after he had been hired to write songs for solo projects for Tait and DC Talk’s Toby Mac.
Tait invited the young musician over to his house one evening after Crawford experienced a hard breakup. Tait offered him alcohol.
“I told him ‘just one,’ and took the shot,” he recalled. “I had a pretty high tolerance for alcohol at the time, but I blacked out shortly after I took that one drink.”
He told the outlet that what took place that night devastated him.
“I was never the same after that,” Crawford said. “The joy and drive I had for music went away. Suddenly I had stage fright for the first time, brain-fog, anger issues, depression, and was even suicidal for a time. It ruined my career.”
Jones now claims he was fired from Evanescence for speaking out, at the time, about his alleged assault.
Evanescence co-founder, Ben Moody, confirmed with the Guardian that Jones did tell him about his encounter with Tait, but denies claims that he was fired because of talking about what took place.
“I was a kid, only 18, and clearly didn’t realize what he was going through,” Moody said. “I’m sure I missed a lot of things I’d recognize today. I didn’t realize he was traumatized.”
In total, eight alleged victims have come forward publicly about sexual assault allegations against Tait. Investigative reports released in June by both the Roys Report and The Guardian detail other accounts.
As CBN News also reported, Tait confessed in a June online post to “touching men in an unwanted sensual way” and abusing alcohol and cocaine for years.
Tait abruptly left the Newsboys in January of 2025, reportedly telling bandmates and managers that he had been “living a double life” and was leaving “to focus on himself.”
The 59-year-old was not part of the original Newsboys band, a Grammy-nominated group, but he had stepped in to become its frontman for nearly 15 years. That came after his original band, DC Talk, had split up.
