NEEDTOBREATHE‘s Bear Rinehart is speaking out following allegations of childhood abuse made by his brother Bo Rinehart.
On Thursday (June 12), 43-year-old Bo, the former guitarist for NEEDTOBREATHE, shared a statement on social media alleging that he was sexually abused by multiple people during his childhood, including his older brother Bear, 44, the rock band’s lead singer.
“This is Bo. I am an alcoholic. I am a sinner, but I am a believer. I believe in God’s grace, and I believe that his mercy has shown that he is consistent, even though we don’t deserve it,” Bo wrote on Instagram. “I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I’ve been sexually abused by a Camp counselor. I’ve been sexually, physically and emotionally abused by my brother. And I’ve been abused by my youth pastor.”
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He continued, “I believe that God has bigger plans for me and part of those plans are telling my story because it’s so hard for anyone to tell stories like these. Even when my faith has been crushed, I know that God still has provisions for me. If you’re out there and you’re thinking, nothing can be done, no one can help, there’s no way out… I’m with you… but I believe in a God who always finds a way. Don’t give up and don’t lose hope.”
Bo, who left NEEDTOBREATHE in 2020, later shared a photo of Bear with the caption “Sexual Abuser” in a since-deleted Instagram Story, according to Relevant Magazine.
On Saturday (June 14), Bear responded to his brother’s allegations with a lengthy post on the Instagram account for Wilder Woods, his solo musical project outside of NEEDTOBREATHE.
“I feel the need to comment on the deeply hurtful and misleading accusations that my brother Bo made the other night on social media,” Bear wrote. “I love Bo deeply and I always will. Since his departure from the band over five years ago, we have done everything in our power to treat him with respect and privacy. I would never choose to disparage him, especially at a time where he is clearly in pain. But as a father and husband, I must protect my family from claims that misrepresent the truth.”
He continued, “Until now, I had chosen to not share this publicly — not because I’m ashamed, but because I’ve wanted to protect my family. 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. Bo’s post has now made it impossible for me to remain private about this period of our childhood any longer. I can only hope that God has a plan for this down the road. I have always respected Bo’s right to speak about his own story, but I cannot allow him to misrepresent mine.”
Bear went on to claim that “my brother and I were both sexually abused at the age of 8 and 6 by a teenage counselor” at a Christian camp where they grew up in South Carolina. “Neither of us received support for these events until well into adulthood and were both left to navigate the rest of childhood and adolescence with deep pain and confusion,” the musician wrote, adding that he later “found freedom” after counseling and support from loved ones.
“Bo’s recent accusation of me conflates our shared experience of abuse with a childhood incident he misrepresents,” Bear continued. “While going through a two day intensive counseling session with Bo five years ago, I learned that he was hurt by things that happened in our early teen years as well. At that counseling session I took full responsibility for any part I played in that pain. We processed those moments of shared trauma in detail and left with an understanding that we were two young boys trying to cope with the unimaginable. 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.”
Bear concluded his message by expressing hope that he and Bo can reconcile someday. “I truly do pray for this healing,” he wrote. “I believe that all of us are broke and in need of a savior. My brother and I are no different.”
Billboard has reached out to NEEDTOBREATHE’s representatives for further comment.
In a 2023 interview with People, Bo opened up about coming to terms with his experience of sexual abuse as an adult, revealing that it was perpetrated by three different individuals. He did not provide further details.
“It takes time,” Bo said at the time. “At some point in our lives, we get to this stage — and it’s generally with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, it’s in their late 30s or early 40s — where it starts to surface whether you want it to or not. You’ll start to see how your life’s kind of breaking down.”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
