NEEDTOBREATHE Lead Singer Bear Rinehart Shares Heartbreaking Abuse Allegations
NEEDTOBREATHE lead singer Bear Rinehart recently claimed that a teenage counselor sexually abused him and his younger brother, Bo, at a Christian camp during their childhood. The allegation was made after Bo alleged that his brother also abused him.
"I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse," Bo, 43, wrote on social media, noting that he had been abused by a camp counselor, by his youth pastor, and "sexually, physically and emotionally abused by my brother."
"Even when my faith has been crushed, I know that God still has provisions for me," he added.
As reported by Church Leaders, Bo also posted an Instagram Story featuring a photo of Bear with the words "Sexual Abuser" written across his chest.
Days prior to his post, Bo publicly identified himself as an alcoholic and a Christian who had survived abuse "so hard for anyone to tell," The Christian Post reported.
Bear, however, refuted Bo's allegation in his own post on Instagram that he had abused him and that they had been sexually abused by a teenage counselor at a Christian camp at the ages of 8 and 6.
"Neither of us received support for these events until well into adulthood," Bear explained, adding that they navigated their childhoods "with deep pain and confusion."
He further lamented his accusations as "deeply hurtful and misleading."
The singer also explained that he and his younger brother attended a two-day counseling session five years earlier, during which Bo expressed having been hurt by incidents in their early teen years.
The artist also revealed that during a two-day counseling session with his younger brother five years earlier, Bo had disclosed that they had experienced trauma from his early teen years.
Bear said he took "full responsibility for any part I played in that pain" and believed they concluded the session with mutual understanding.
"To now label me an abuser in such a heartless way is not only deeply painful but is also wildly misleading and feels intentionally harmful," he wrote.
As a father of three young boys, Bear explained that protecting his family was the reason he did not report the childhood abuse earlier but now had to publicly disclose the news since his brother went public on social media.
"I have three young boys, and I wanted them to hear about my story from me directly when the time is right and not through social media or online speculation," he wrote.
Nevertheless, he hopes he and Bo can reconcile down the line.
"Even after all of this, I am still hopeful for a reconciliation someday with my brother that I know only God can provide," he wrote.
The brothers, who co-founded NEEDTOBREATHE in 1998, were well-known for fusing Christian themes with rock despite not being identified as a Christian band. The band has published ten albums and toured with Taylor Swift during her "Speak Now World Tour" in 2011. In 2015, they were nominated for a Grammy and have won 15 Dove Awards.
Both brothers, whose father is a pastor, have been outspoken about their faith in public.
Bo left the band in 2020 and later began releasing music under the name Coy Roy.
"Our brother Bo has decided to step away from NEEDTOBREATHE. Bo's visual and musical artistry has always stood out for being brave, accomplished, and well respected by anyone who has been fortunate enough to experience it," the band said in a statement at the time, according to Church Leaders.
Tyler Burkum, formerly of Audio Adrenaline, took Bo's place following his departure from the band.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Hubert Vestil/Stringer
Originally published June 16, 2025.
