What did Bo Rinehart say about Bear Rinehart? Former NEEDTOBREATHE guitarist accuses his brother of sexual abuse
Musician Bo Rinehart has recently accused his brother, Bear Rinehart, of alleged sexual abuse. Bo Rinehart is the former NEEDTOBREATHE guitarist and Bear Rinehart is the band's founding member and lead singer.
In a statement uploaded on Instagram on June 13, 2025, the 43-year-old also claimed that he was sexually abused by a Camp counselor and a youth pastor. Bo Rinehart reportedly stated that he believes that God has a bigger plan for him, and as part of that "plan," he needs to share his story.
Regarding his brother, he mentioned in the post:
"I’ve been sexually, physically and emotionally abused by my brother."
William Stanley "Bear" Rinehart III and Nathaniel Bryant "Bo" Rinehart formed NEEDTOBREATHE in 1998. In 2015, their song Multiplied was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song category. Their numerous albums charted on the Billboard 200 chart. Their 2016 album, Hard Love, gained the number two spot on the chart.
On April 21, 2020, Bo Rinehart announced his departure from the rock band. At the time, he did not state the reason behind his decision.
In 2023, Bo Rinehart talked about being a victim of sexual abuse
Bo Rinehart told People magazine in an exclusive interview dated In April 6, 2023, that he was the victim of sexual abuse from the age of 6 to 16. He did not mention any details on the abusers' identities. Rinehart mentioned that his song, Doing the Best I Can, was about the alleged abuse he faced, and I'm Right Here was about him learning to cope with his childhood.
"I'm going to have to face it and hit it head-on. That's what the song is about, really coming to terms with it and knowing you can either blame other people for your struggles, be resentful or you can look inward and say, 'This is something that I deserve grace and forgiveness for,' and allow myself that," the singer stated.
Rinehart told the publication that before starting therapy, he remembered two instances, and as he was taking therapy, more repressed memories began to resurface. He stated that the experience was breaking down his life.
"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," Rinehart added.
The singer further shared that he's working on himself and being surrounded by his family has given him "love, joy, and peace." Bo Rinehart married Lindsey Rinehart in 2011; they have two sons, Eland and Nathaniel.
"Knowing that I'm a work in progress gave me a lot of freedom. I'm still working, and I've rediscovered love and joy and peace in being at home with my kids, my family, and learned to love making music again," he stated.
Bear Rinehart has not responded to the sexual abuse allegations at the time of writing.
