Rhea Thompson Leaves Tailgunner Over Tailgunner Allegations, Tom Hewson Steps Back
Rhea Thompson has left Tailgunner amid tailgunner allegations involving bassist Tom Hewson, saying she is no longer playing with the band because of moral and ethical concerns. She said the decision came after recent allegations surfaced and drew her to set the record straight.
“I want to ensure my truth is told and set the record straight regarding the current situation with Tailgunner.” Thompson wrote that she would not address details involving the allegations, but added, “I will not be addressing any details involving the allegations; however, I will confirm that, due to moral and ethical concerns, I am no longer playing for Tailgunner.”
Tom Hewson Steps Back
Tailgunner said Hewson would be stepping back after recent allegations were made against him, putting a band line change in motion at the same time Thompson went public. That leaves the group dealing with one departure from the front line and one member on the sidelines, a tighter squeeze for a band that had been building momentum around its 2026 sophomore album, Midnight Blitz.
Thompson joined after the release of Tailgunner’s debut album, Guns for Hire, so her exit removes a player who entered after the group’s first full-length but before the next phase of its run. The band had also drawn notice from K.K. Downing through Midnight Blitz, which helped raise its profile before the current dispute pushed personnel back into the spotlight.
Thompson Draws Her Line
“This decision is something I wish I never would have had to make, but ultimately it was one I felt needed to be made.” Thompson wrote. That is the clearest public explanation in the available record, and it puts the burden on principle rather than on the specifics of the allegations, which she declined to discuss.
The practical outcome is simple for Tailgunner: the band now has to absorb a personnel reset while the allegations around Hewson remain the issue driving the change. For listeners tracking the group’s rise, Thompson’s departure is the sharper development because it turns a quiet online rumor cycle into an actual lineup change, and it does so before the band can move past the shadow hanging over its 2026 release.
