A woman who previously worked with Newsboys alleges she was drugged by Michael Tait, who watched as she was raped by lighting technician Matthew Brewer during their 2014 pre-Christmas tour, according to The Roys Report.
At the time, she worked for Pulse Evangelism as an intern.
Tait recently admitted to preying sexually on other men, three of whom came forward in a previous Roys Report interview, prompting Tait’s public admission. Since that publication, six more men — two of whom were minors at the time of assault — have come forward in an investigation published by The Guardian.
Michael Tait on the cover of CCM magazine in 2016
Tait has yet to comment on the new allegations, although witnesses claim he previously apologized to the alleged victim, pseudonymously named “Nicole” by Roys, saying, “I’m a grown man who tours and sometimes I just have these urges and we all sin.”
Nicole claims she was drugged after eating dinner with colleagues Jesi Jones and Elizabeth Chan, when the Newsboys crew were drinking at the hotel bar. The gathering initially included guitar tech Jack Campbell, tour manager Steve Campbell and lighting apprentice Zech Germenis. Later, Tait and Brewer joined the group.
The bartender told police he observed that “the gentlemen at the bar were drinking the most.”
Nicole says she joined the group drinking at the bar, but “stayed well within legal drinking limits” until she was ready for bed. But when she stood up to leave at 1:17 a.m., Tait insisted on buying her a tequila shot, which she accepted.
“It seemed harmless,” she told Roys. “I did not feel like I was peer pressured into it. But as a young professional in the industry, I wanted to be liked by these people. One shot seemed harmless. Unfortunately, I have next to no memory after that drink.”
She believes the shot was spiked with a date rape drug, which often takes effect immediately in victims.
The next thing she remembers is “being on a bathroom floor and feeling like 1,000 pounds were on me. My body was so heavy I could hardly move. I hear Matt Brewer’s voice, and I remember (Tait) being in there.”
“I remember the feeling of my head being pushed down between someone’s legs.”
She also says, “I remember the feeling of my head being pushed down between someone’s legs. I … guess oral sex, or an attempt, but I don’t fully remember.”
Chan says she told her and Jones in the morning, “I woke up to giving Matt Brewer a blow job.”
This would have been poignantly out of character for Nicole, who was a virgin before the encounter and claims she had no romantic interest in Brewer. An initial police report was written by a detective who confused Brewer with Matthew Best — a Pulse line manager responsible for her well-being — where he incorrectly concluded the sexual encounter was consensual, despite her testimony claiming otherwise.
Hotel video footage reveals that early in the morning on Dec. 16, 2014, Brewer took her back to his hotel room, which Tait entered after a hallway conversation with him where he appears to have groped Brewer’s crotch while the two laughed together.
Nicole is without shoes or glasses when she exits the hotel room, before collapsing at the door of her own room.
Footage also reveals the efforts other crew members, including Chan and Jones, made to find her. Believing excessive drinking and sexual activity were out of character for Nicole, the group became concerned when they realized she was not in her hotel room, last seeing her at the bar taking the tequila shot.
Finding her collapsed in the hallway, the women took her into one of their own hotel rooms to “sleep it off,” admitting they were unfamiliar with how a date rape drug would have affected a person. In hindsight they wish they had called an ambulance.
The next morning, Nicole discovered her tampon had been shoved deep into her vagina (something she would not have done herself), as if by force.
That day, Best drove Nicole to a nearby emergency room to get a rape kit and toxicology test done. While she accepted a Plan B contraceptive pill, she declined the rape kit out of fear and shame for the situation.
On Dec. 18, a friend took her to another hospital for a completed rape kit and was diagnosed with sexual assault. Due to the time that had passed, doctors were unable to conclude whether she was drugged.
Police were unwilling to pursue any leads in response to her allegations of assault.
Nicole says police were unwilling to pursue any leads in response to her allegations of assault, which she filed a few weeks later. She was told, “It’s not worth processing (the rape kit) because it’ll take three to six months” (which is a relatively standard amount of time for rape kit evidence to be processed). Roys discovered the case had been shelved, despite forensic and video evidence corroborating her story.
Additionally, Jones told Roys she and Chan questioned tour manager Steve Campbell, who was out drinking with the crew the night of the alleged assault, about the situation. Jones recalls him instructing her, “Don’t meddle in this.”
A meeting was set up about the situation between Best and other members of leadership, including Campbell. Best says Campbell was dismissive about the situation, saying, “Kids will be kids.”
“He definitely … alluded to his job as a tour manager is to clean things up or make things go away,” recalled Best. However, Cambell denies this allegation, telling Roys, “I also resent any implication that I would ever cover anything up.”
Brewer remained on the tour for its entirety and worked with the Newsboys as recently as 2021. He denies all allegations of abuse, claiming the sexual encounter was consensual and that he would have “addressed it directly” if Nicole had raised any concerns.
In contrast, Pulse Evangelism finished the tour and never worked with Newsboys again.
“Today we are standing with our former employee as she tells her story and recognize the courage it takes to do so,” Pulse said in a statement. “We are praying for all the victims and for the truth to come out.”
Nicole reflected, “I’d love for the Newsboys to admit they were wrong — to at least stop them from hurting people behind closed doors. I hope my story can somehow save someone else from the pain and destruction of sexual abuse or harassment. What if I was your daughter?”
In response to the allegations, Newsboys management says they are conducting their own investigation and intend to “take necessary action against anyone who is currently affiliated with the Newsboys who proves to have been involved,” including Campbell. The statement continues, “This is an egregious scenario that we take very seriously.”
Meanwhile, Capitol Christian Music Group has dropped Newsboys from its recording label, even as other members of the group deny knowledge of Tait’s behavior.
Related articles:
Former Newsboys frontman Michael Tait accused of sexual assault
Michael Tait issues ‘confession’ confirming abuse and drug reports
Why Michael Tait’s apology is not enough | Opinion by David Bumgardner