Two more men have accused Christian rock star and MAGA supporter Michael Tait of drugging and sexually assaulting them—including Jason Jones, the original manager of the rock band Evanescence.
Jones claims he was fired from Evanescence—which had connections to Tait—after speaking out about the alleged assault. He says his dismissal in 1999 cost him a share of the band’s later success, which took off in 2003.
“It destroyed me,” Jones said. “I was living my dream at a young age, and Tait took that away.”
However, Evanescence co-founder Ben Moody denied that Jones was fired for confronting Tait. Moody admitted that Jones had told him about a sexual encounter with Tait but said he initially believed it was consensual.
“I was only 18 at the time and didn’t fully grasp what he was going through,” Moody said. “Looking back, I realize I missed signs of his trauma.”
So far, eight men have publicly accused Tait of sexual assault. Previous reports by The Guardian and Christian outlet The Roys Report detailed allegations from six other men.
Tait rose to fame as the lead singer of Christian bands DC Talk and Newsboys, known for promoting conservative values like abstinence and Christian nationalism through their music. He has also been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, helping bridge the gap between Trump and evangelical voters.
Tait has not responded to The Guardian’s requests for comment. However, in a June Instagram post, he admitted to struggling with cocaine and alcohol addiction for decades and acknowledged that he had “at times touched men in an unwanted, sensual way.” He also mentioned recently completing a six-week rehab program in Utah.
Friends from the 1990s described Jones as an ambitious, creative young Christian. Growing up in Arkansas, one of his biggest dreams was to meet DC Talk—a dream he fulfilled in 1994 after moving to Nashville to manage his friend Randall Crawford’s band. Crawford, who was close with Tait, introduced the two.
Jones recalled being starstruck when hanging out with Tait, like the time they had to leave a McDonald’s because fans swarmed them. But he was also surprised by Tait’s habit of grabbing other men’s genitals. Jones later learned Tait was secretly gay—a risky secret for someone mentored by Moral Majority co-founder Jerry Falwell, who famously called AIDS “God’s punishment for homosexuality.”
Despite the revelation, Jones didn’t judge Tait’s sexuality and even took him to gay clubs in Little Rock when DC Talk performed there.
During frequent trips between Nashville and Little Rock, Jones met musician Ben Moody in 1995. The two clicked and began working on what would become Evanescence. After helping produce the band’s first demo, Jones returned to Nashville and told Tait about the project.
At the time, Jones—a devout evangelical—was sober and a virgin. But he remembers… (text continues)In 1995, Jones found himself swept up in Tait’s wild party lifestyle—chain-smoking cigarettes and marijuana, staying out until bars closed, then continuing to drink at Tait’s house. Though uncomfortable, Jones went along with it, eager for Tait’s approval.
“I was trying to make it with my band,” Jones recalled. “Tait had industry connections that could help us, so I played along. I didn’t realize the price I’d pay.”
Jones used his relationship with Tait to help Evanescence gain traction in Nashville, introducing them to A&R reps, record labels, venue owners, producers, and musicians.
Anonymous sources claim that during this time, Tait frequently hosted attractive young men—some underage—at his Nashville home. They allege he enforced a “no clothes” rule in his hot tub. One regular visitor, who wished to remain unnamed, recalled Tait pressing himself against a jet in the tub and urging others to do the same, saying, “See? It feels good!”
“He loved shocking people,” said Crawford, a close friend of both Jones and Tait in the ’90s. “He’d say things like, ‘Let’s make out in front of everyone!’ I’d warn him, ‘You’re going to ruin your career,’ but he acted untouchable—and in some ways, he was.”
Crawford also remembers Tait speeding through Liberty University’s campus at 60 mph, where DC Talk had formed. When campus security pulled them over, they went from angry to starstruck upon recognizing Tait, even asking for photos and autographs.
After they drove off, Tait calmly told Crawford, “I can do anything and not get in trouble.”
In late 1998, after DC Talk rehearsals for their Supernatural tour, Jones drank at Tait’s house. Feeling suddenly exhausted, Tait suggested he sleep in his bed. “I felt honored he trusted me like that,” Jones said.
Later, he woke up to find his pants gone and Tait performing oral sex on him. “I said no and pushed him off, but then I blacked out again. When I woke up, he was still doing it. I refused again, passed out, then woke a third time and yelled, ‘No!’ shoving him harder. That’s when he finally stopped.”
Looking back, Jones believes Tait drugged him. Two other alleged victims from previous reports also suspect they were drugged before their assaults. Additionally, a female accuser cited by The Roys Report claimed Tait provided Rohypnol (or a similar sedative) to a Newsboys crew member, who then drugged and raped her while Tait watched.
Distraught, Jones flew home to Little Rock the next day and confided in a mentor about a “bad experience” with Tait, though he didn’t elaborate. “He wasn’t the same after that,” the friend recalled.
In early 1999, Jones also told Evanescence co-founder Ben Moody about the assault. “Ben was only 18, new to the industry, and I wanted to warn him,” Jones said. “Tait was flying him out to Nashville to see if he fit into his inner circle.”
Moody remembers the conversation differently. “He didn’t call it ‘sexual assault,'” Moody said. “He described it more like frat-house behavior.”Here’s a more natural and fluent version of the text while preserving its meaning:
During a drunken moment, the boys were joking around when [Tait] said, “What’s the big deal? A dick’s just a muscle.” Jason responded, “The next thing I know, he’s sucking my dick.”
Jones maintains that he gave Moody full details of the assault, including how he verbally and physically resisted Tait three times as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
Moody noticed a shift in Jones’ behavior. Once a passionate, easygoing guy, Jones began experiencing extreme mood swings—depression, rage, paranoia, and dissociation. After a late studio session, Moody recalled Jones struggling with the car’s gearshift before erupting in screams, violently jerking it as if trying to break it.
Moody and the band started questioning whether to keep working with Jones. Reflecting later, Moody admitted, “I didn’t understand what he was going through. Looking back, I should’ve paid more attention, but I was just an 18-year-old focused on becoming a rockstar.”
In a phone call with Tait, Moody mentioned Jones’ account of their sexual encounter, which Tait denied. “I wanted to get ahead of Jason spreading rumors and ruining everything,” Moody said. At the time, there were whispers about Michael Tait’s sexuality, and given his fame after DC Talk’s Grammy-winning Jesus Freak, a scandal would have been massive.
Jones and Moody disagree on whether he was fired or quit, but both see the incident with Tait as the turning point in their relationship.
“I hid away after that,” Jones said. “I started snorting meth, then smoking it.” His isolation and drug use lasted five years.
Moody regrets how things unfolded. “He was my best friend for years, and now I ask myself, ‘How fucking blind could I have been?'”
Evanescence went on to global success, winning two Grammys in 2003 and selling millions of albums. The following year, Moody and Tait became roommates and collaborators—Tait sang on Moody’s solo album, and Moody produced Tait’s Loveology. Moody left Evanescence in 2003 to pursue solo work.
Evanescence co-founder Amy Lee and other band representatives couldn’t be reached for comment.
Like Moody, Crawford remembers Jones as a happy, sweet guy before 1998. “I could tell something happened. He didn’t tell me then, but he has since. And I believe him—because the same thing happened to me.”
Crawford first met DC Talk in 1989 while they filmed the Heavenbound music video in a Nashville mall where he worked at a movie theater. A fan of their debut cassette, he introduced himself and gave them a discount when they came to see a film.
Crawford recalls Jones being pushed out of Evanescence’s management in early 1999, “something to do with Tait,” though he didn’t know specifics. At the time, Crawford was an up-and-coming songwriter, working on solo projects for Tait and DC Talk’s Toby Mac (the band went on hiatus in 2000 and never officially reunited). Mac’s project later earned Grammy and Dove Award nominations. Crawford had also just signed a record deal for his band, Webster County.
[Image description: A CD single of Evanescence’s Going Under.]
[Image description: Randall Cr… (incomplete)]Here’s the rewritten text in fluent, natural English while preserving the original meaning:
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Crawford, left, and Michael Tait at Crawford’s house for Thanksgiving in 1999. (Photo: Courtesy Randall Crawford)
Crawford remembers being upset over a breakup one night in fall 2000 when Tait invited him over to hang out. “You’ll bounce back,” Tait told him, handing him a shot of Maker’s Mark whiskey.
“I told him ‘just one,’ and took the shot,” Crawford recalled. “I had a high alcohol tolerance at the time, but I blacked out right after that one drink.”
His next memory was waking up on Tait’s kitchen counter, his pants around his ankles. “My legs were in the air, and Tait was licking my anus,” he claimed. “I said, ‘What are you doing, dude?’ And then he said the weirdest thing: ‘Hey man, did you catch the Colts game last week?’ Like we were just casually talking.”
Crawford said he ran from Tait’s house but doesn’t remember driving home. He believes Tait drugged him.
Two of Crawford’s close friends confirmed his account. One said Crawford shared details of the alleged assault at the time but only named Tait two years ago. The other friend said he heard the full story back then.
“I was never the same after that,” Crawford said. “The joy and drive I had for music disappeared. Suddenly I had stage fright, brain fog, anger issues, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. It ruined my career.”
Despite finishing his band’s album, Crawford couldn’t bring himself to perform, and the record was never released.
Both Jones and Crawford initially thought their assaults were isolated incidents and stayed in touch with Tait. Jones took a call from him when Tait’s father died, and Crawford says Tait “love-bombed” him, leading to further interactions.
After years of no contact, Tait reappeared in Crawford’s life in 2020. Crawford’s wife, also a musician, had been offered album production by Tait.
“I had buried that memory for years,” Crawford said. Seeing Tait again brought everything back—he broke down crying in the shower. After telling his wife what happened, she encouraged him to try EMDR trauma therapy, which he found helpful.
“Hearing Jason’s story recently broke my heart,” he said, referring to reconnecting with Jones decades later. “I believe we’d both still be in music today if not for Michael Tait.”
Randall Crawford (left) and Michael Tait leaning on Tait’s Jeep in 1995, just before the release of Jesus Freak. (Photo: Courtesy Randall Crawford)
Jones has been sober since 2008. After leaving music, he worked in banking and helped run a sober living facility. Now he travels the country sharing his story of abuse and addiction (without naming Tait).
Shortly after getting sober, Jones contacted a law firm about possible compensation from Evanescence. According to his 2008 correspondence with the firm (shared with The Guardian), they told him the statute of limitations had expired years earlier. The lawyers said if he’d acted sooner, he might have been entitled to tens of millions.
Moody disputed the idea that Jones ever had a right to compensation for his early work with Evanescence.
Looking back 27 years later, Jones recalled the night he warned Moody about what happened—not just about Tait, but the music industry as a whole. He repeated a quote from journalist Hun…
(Note: The text cuts off mid-sentence, so the rewrite ends where the original does.)Hunter S. Thompson once said: “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free.”
“That’s true for the Christian music industry too,” Jones added. “Even more so, in my case.”
