Two additional men have come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Christian rock star Michael Tait, including Jason Jones, the founding manager of the band Evanescence. Jones claims he was drugged and assaulted by Tait in the 1990s, and subsequently fired from Evanescence after reporting the incident.
Jones said the firing in 1999 cut him out of the band's later success. 'It destroyed me,' he told the Guardian. 'I was achieving my dreams at an early age, and Tait changed all that.' Evanescence co-founder Ben Moody denied Jones was fired for speaking out, but acknowledged Jones had told him about a sexual encounter with Tait at the time.
Eight alleged victims have now publicly accused Tait, who rose to fame with DC Talk and Newsboys. Tait has not responded to questions but posted on Instagram in June, confessing to a decades-long addiction to cocaine and alcohol and admitting he had 'at times, touched men in an unwanted, sensual way.' He said he had recently spent six weeks in a treatment centre in Utah.
Jones described being welcomed into Tait's inner circle in the mid-1990s, but said he was uncomfortable with Tait's behaviour, including grabbing other men's genitals. He alleged Tait lived a double life as a closeted gay man, which conflicted with the conservative Christian image of his bands.
