Newsboys Owner Issues Lengthy Statement About Michael Tait ‘I had absolutely no knowledge’
Newsboys owner Wes Campbell has issued a lengthy statement detailing his knowledge of former frontman Michael Tait’s admission of sexual abuse and drug use, insisting that he had no knowledge of any bad behavior and was as shocked as anyone when he heard of it.
Campbell, who is the brother of Newsboys tour manager Steve Campbell (the one who was involved with Michael Tait allegedly drugging a woman and watching her get raped) and who is presently being sued for $5.4M for obstruction, emotional distress, and defamation, shared:
A LETTER FROM WES CAMPBELL
Chairman Reeves, Chairman Wamp and GMA Foundation Board of Directors,
Given the most recent accusations against me personally related to a supposed coverup of allegations surrounding Michael Tait and his time as frontman for the Newsboys, I submit this letter notifying you that I am stepping down from the board so as not to become a distraction. I believe strongly in the work of the Gospel Music Association and the mission to build the CGM Museum, but I clearly cannot continue in my current role for the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, as a result of the articles published this past month, my brother, Steve Campbell, has been placed on leave pending the results of an internal investigation about his knowledge of Tait’s actions on the road. At the conclusion of the full investigation, I will submit a detailed report to GMA President, Jackie Patillo, who has shown great leadership in our industry; her record of excellence with impartiality speaks for itself, and I will submit the report along with access to all staff so she can independently review our findings.
I have remained largely silent these past weeks as we all learned together of the unfolding stories of reported victims sharing allegations against Michael Tait, but do not mistake that for a lack of care or concern for the alleged victims, their families or anyone else impacted.
Until we got the full scope of the several consecutive articles in conjunction with an initial investigation, I felt I could not even speak beyond our early statement of support for the alleged victims and call for any other possible victims to consider coming forward. Admittedly, we were caught somewhat flat-footed and ill-prepared as we never imagined the stories we would learn; members of our own families have now come forward and shared that they, too, are victims. My heart is shattered at the pain that has been expressed by so many as we are learning even dating back as far as three decades ago.
Wes insists that he “absolutely no knowledge that such behavior was happening.”
These last several weeks have been a personal time of reckoning as I came to grips with the emerging details of a growing number of disturbing stories and considered exactly how such reported behavior could have happened without a single hint or mention. I have heard from many in our industry that there is no way I couldn’t have known; I have heard former colleagues make all manner of accusations, but I can with full conscience declare that my management team at Newsboys Inc and I had absolutely no knowledge that such behavior was happening.
There were whispers of rumors for the past couple of years that an exposé story was coming out about Michael, but every time such rumor was brought to my attention, the management team and I would sit down with Michael to straightforwardly ask if he knew about it and what, if anything, he may have been hiding that someone would want to write that would be so threatening. He assured us there was nothing to the rumors, but without any details in hand, there was nothing we could even investigate.
Campbell turns to Tait’s sexuality:
As many online have posted, throughout Michael’s career there have been rumors of his sexual preference seemingly at every turn, but that is far from the depths of what has been reported; these topics should not be conflated. The first of any sexuality rumors I’ve heard date back to when Michael was even still in dc Talk; the very first I heard was a rude, flippant comment of assumption made based on his wardrobe choices, and that is the kind of “rumors” we have referenced knowing over the years… gossip, typically rooted in what seemed a superficial basis of reason… nothing more. Michael even raised and addressed the rumors early on in our vetting process back when he agreed to front the band in 2009; it was an open transparent conversation, but there was no such story or claims of offense to reference or discuss.
Michael shared with us as recent as last year the distressing toll that the ongoing rumors had taken on him and his health and asked the team to see if they can help get to the bottom of what he referenced as “hurtful lies.” Many have said at least the band should have known even if management did not, but the rest of this band are all married family men with supplemental careers who would prefer to fly home on days off instead of staying on the road between dates to hang out. Over the past many years this band has settled into their roles in their own families that would preclude them from many things being conjectured online which is why they were so openly shocked upon reading the very first story.
And then to what he supposedly knew and when we knew it. Keep in mind that as the owner of the Newsboys, all the bandmates are basically salaried employees of his, and his explanation strains credulity.
Here is what we DID know and when we knew it: Michael reached out to me on December 30, 2024, to arrange a meeting; I informed him that I was out of town for the holidays until January 5th. He then expressed concern about the gravity of what he needed to share with me, stating, “Wes, I can’t live a lie for another day; I need to get clean. This is going to be heavy.”
Our team met with Michael on January 6th, and I approached the conversation with a mindset to listen rather than judge. It was during this meeting that he revealed some of his struggles. He shared that he was “living a double life” abusing cocaine and as a result, when under the influence, as he put it, engaged in sensual type activity with both men and women. He also opened up and shared with us the elaborate ways in which he had managed to keep the drug use hidden from the band.
At no point in this meeting did he indicate or confess to anything that even hinted at what would ultimately be reported or alleged, but he did then resign from the band requesting assistance in recovery from the substance abuse. Everyone agreed that Tait stepping down to seek help was a positive step forward, even despite the difficulty of making this decision with our spring tour just a few days away.
In the days that followed, Michael turned to his separate personal management and spiritual counsel for closer assistance; these were individuals who have walked closely with Michael for over thirty years. Given what was shared and at the recommendation of our own spiritual and legal counsel, it was decided that Tait’s privacy firstly as an independently contracted individual and secondly as a friend should be respected at that point in time. We chose not to tell the world at that time about his substance abuse issue; it seemed his story to tell given the steps in place.
I’ll say it again, we had no idea the fullness of his actions behind closed doors or that he may have been a possible risk to anyone’s safety, and so we proceeded with that approach while Michael sought treatment. Had we known the details as we now know, the response absolutely would have been different.
Campbell concludes:
I have been asked many times in recent weeks about accountability in this industry… who we lean on, what checkpoints are in place, what the standards are. For Newsboys, each band member has personal accountability procedures in place. When Michael joined our team fifteen years ago, he came to us with an established accountability infrastructure from his dc Talk days. Those relationships have stuck with him this entire time, and as such, his personal manager, road pastor, and closest friends took over in rallying behind him to support him as needed while under treatment. The journey ahead will be challenging for everyone, especially the reported and any possible unknown victims.
There is clearly much work to be done within the Newsboys organization as we must have guardrails in place along with a deep understanding amongst all staff that they are safe to report a problem or offense without any fear, but also within the CCM music industry as a whole there is work for all of us to do.
I’ve wondered why the rumor mill was just that for so many years… full of gossip and rumor instead of Christ-like personal confrontation. How many lives could have been saved from harm if people felt comfortable to report and those who knew something had actually said something. I intend to make strides in our organization and can only hope this begins a larger conversation of healing and restoration along with opportunities for mentorship for up and coming talented musicians and industry- professionals who support the work of those musicians.
Thank you for allowing me to serve on the board and I look forward to submitting the findings of the internal investigation once it is complete; I absolutely believe it will exonerate the existing members of the Newsboys as well as our management team from being aware of or party to covering up any of the reported allegations.
With Respect, Wes Campbell
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