Two more men have accused prominent Christian rockstar Michael Tait of sexual assault, including former Evanescence founding manager Jason Jones.
Jones, who met Tait in 1994 as a fan, claimed that speaking out on the assault caused him to be fired from Evanescence, which had ties to Tait.
“It destroyed me,” Jones told The Guardian. “I was achieving my dreams at an early age, and Tait changed all that.”
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Evanescence co-founder Ben Moody denied that Jones was fired for speaking out, but said he “didn’t realize [Jones] was traumatized” believing the encounters were consensual.
“He didn’t frame it as ‘sexual assault,’” Moody said. “He described it as like frat-boy joking around while they were drunk, with [Tait] saying ‘what’s the big deal? A d--k’s just a muscle.’ And Jason said ‘the next thing I know he’s sucking my d--k.’”
Tait gained notoriety as a member of DC Talk, a Christian rap and rock trio that was most popular in the mid-90s. Jones met him thanks to a mutual friend’s introduction in 1994 in Nashville, quickly becoming a part of his inner circle.
From there, Jones claimed witnessing a series of obscene behavior from Tait, like habitually grabbing other men’s genitals, and soon discovered that Tait was a closeted gay man. While that clashed with DC Talk’s conservative messaging, Jones tolerated and even embraced Tait’s sexuality.
As the pair got closer, Jones, an Evangelical, indulged in a series of uncomfortable behavior to get Tait’s approval, engaging in partying, drinking, and chain-smoking cigarettes and marijuana. Jones recalled one night drinking at Tait’s house in 1998, where he suddenly felt tired and Tait encouraged him to sleep in his bed.
“I felt honored that he felt that close to me, that he trusted me enough to let me sleep in his bed,” Jones said.
But when Jones woke up, he found Tait giving him oral sex.
“I said no and pushed him off, but then, somehow, I passed out again. I woke back up and he was still doing it. I said no again, then nodded out. And then I woke up a third time, aggressively shouted ‘no!’ and pushed him harder. It was then that he left me alone.”
Jones also said that he believed he was drugged that night.
While Jones leveraged his connections with Tait to help Evanescence get its start, the alleged abuse caused Jones to spiral, with Moody recalling changes in Jones’ demeanor and wondering if Jones should continue with the band. Jones and Moody disagree on whether Jones left the band or was fired.
In total, eight individuals have allegedly been assaulted and or drugged by Tait, with the first series of assault allegations coming out on June 4.
According to The Roys Report, it was first revealed that Tait allegedly assaulted and drugged three individuals in 2004, 2010, and 2014. Since then, more victims have alleged abuse at the hands of Tait, with two victims being minors at the time of the alleged crime.
Tait responded to the allegations in an Instagram post on June 10 titled My Confession, where he said that the allegations “including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity, are sadly, largely true.”
In the letter, Tait said he was “ashamed” of his life choices, but said that he may “dispute certain details in the accusations against [him].” Tait ended the statement with a bible verse, quoting Psalm 51.
Tait has yet to respond to Jones’ allegations.
