“I cannot allow him to misrepresent”- NEEDTOBREATHE’s Bear Rinehart addresses brother Bo’s accusations of childhood sexual abuse
NEEDTOBREATHE's lead singer, Bear Rinehart, has responded to allegations of childhood sexual abuse from his brother, Bo Rinehart. The former guitarist had alleged that he was sexually abused in his childhood, including by his brother, in a statement on June 12.
Bear Rinehart has now responded to these claims with a statement of his own on his Instagram account. On his @iamwilderwoods account, which is his solo music project, Bear wrote on Saturday, June 14:
“I feel the need to comment on the deeply hurtful and misleading accusations that my brother Bo made the other night on social media..."
He asserted that he loves his brother and has treated him with respect even after his departure from their band in 2020. He stated that he didn't want to speak about this phase of his life.
However, he added that he needs to speak up now to "protect" his family from Bo's claims. He further wrote:
"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 Rinehart has been married to Mary Reames Rinehart, whom he met in college, for over 20 years now. They have three kids together.
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Bear Rinehart says he and his brother Bo Rinehart were sexually abused in childhood
In his post, Bear Rinehart also revealed that he and his brother were allegedly sexually abused "by a teenage counselor" at the ages of 8 and 6, respectively.
He shared that they had to go through it on their own as they received no support in their childhood or adolescence.
He added:
“Bo’s recent accusation of me conflates our shared experience of abuse with a childhood incident he misrepresents."
Bear also revealed that he and his brother had taken an intensive counseling session together five years ago. He added:
"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 Rinehart concluded by praying for his brother's healing and stating that they are both broken and need saviors.
What had Bo Rinehart said about his brother and NEEDTOBREATHE bandmate Bear Rinehart?
In an Instagram post on June 12, Bo Rinehart stated that he had to go through childhood sexual abuse. He alleged that a Camp counselor, a youth pastor, and his brother were the perpetrators.
He wrote:
“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.”
Bo Rinehart continued to put his faith in God in the rest of the statement and urged people not to give up hope if they are going through something similar.
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