Rock singer Haley Williams of the Grammy Award-winning band Paramore sounded off on the the Christian music industry following the misconduct allegations against former DC Talk member and Newsboys frontman Michael Tait.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of sex abuse that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Tait, who abruptly left Newsboys on Jan. 16, has been accused of grooming, sexually assaulting, and drugging young men—including minors—as well as of watching a young woman be raped in 2014.
Referencing TikToker Azariah Southworth, the social media influencer who first outed Tait as gay, Williams posted a statement on her Instagram pointing blame at the Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) industry for not providing Tait with “gay-affirming support.”
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“The amount of things I have to say and the amount of people I know who were likely changed forever by this man and by the industry that empowered/enabled him,” Williams wrote, “and no one but the TikToker who broke this story has said a word about Michael Tait needing gay-affirming support.”
“Because this is a man who’s entire faith identity is built upon a faulty structure of self-hatred,” she continued, “to please a system that would rather cover up abhorrent behavior for 20+ years (And make money off of it) Rather than accept that being gay is not the problem.”
Williams shared that she grew up around the Christian music industry and made it clear that she isn’t “afraid of any of these people.” She indicated that people in the industry have probably “written [her] off anyway by now.”
“How many stories like this from this VERY small corner of the music industry will we hear before we realize that capitalizing on people’s faith and vulnerability is the ‘sin,’” Williams added before stating that she hopes the “CCM industry crumbles.”
RELATED: ‘I Woke Up in the Closet’—New Survivors Accuse Michael Tait of Sexual Abuse, Misconduct When They Were Minors
“And f**k all of you who knew and didn’t do a d*mn thing,” Williams said. “I bet I’ve got your number. And btw if you’re not angry too then maybe it’s time to question why.”
