You know that song "Brother"? The one that was everywhere in 2015? It was this soaring, foot-stomping anthem about leaning on family when things get heavy. For fans of the South Carolina rock band NEEDTOBREATHE, that track felt like the ultimate statement of unity. It was the "comeback" moment after the two founding brothers, Bear and Bo Rinehart, nearly burned the whole thing down.
But fast forward a decade, and that song hits a lot differently.
The story of the Rinehart brothers isn’t just a "band breaks up" cliché. It’s a messy, heartbreaking, and deeply complicated saga involving childhood trauma, a toxic creative rivalry, and a very public fallout that effectively ended their partnership in 2020. If you’ve been wondering why Bo isn't on stage with his brother anymore, or what those cryptic Instagram posts in 2025 were all about, it’s a lot darker than typical "creative differences."
The Competitive Edge That Built a Dynasty
The Rinehart brothers grew up in a place called Possum Kingdom. No, really. Their dad was an Assembly of God pastor who ran a church camp, and their mom taught piano. Growing up in the rural South Carolina foothills, music and competition were the only two languages they spoke.
Bear was the star athlete—a record-setting wide receiver at Furman University. Bo was the visual artist, the guy who designed the album covers and the merch while playing lead guitar with a technicality that most alt-rock players couldn't touch.
Basically, they were obsessed with outdoing each other.
In the early 2000s, this was their superpower. They built NEEDTOBREATHE by drawing a circle on a map five hours around their home and promising to be the biggest band in that radius. They played every dive bar and church basement until they were opening for Taylor Swift. But that same competitive fire that made them famous was secretly poisoning them.
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The Fistfight That Almost Ended It All
By the time the band was touring their 2011 album The Reckoning, things were ugly. Bear and Bo weren't even speaking. They had separate dressing rooms. They weren't just "not getting along"—they were actively trying to sabotage one another on stage.
It eventually came to blows. A physical altercation between the brothers got so violent that one of them ended up in the emergency room.
That was the "Rivers in the Wasteland" era. They almost called it quits right then. They stayed together because they managed a "sincere reconciliation" at the time, which birthed the hit "Brother." It seemed like they’d found a way to bridge the gap.
They hadn't.
Why Bo Rinehart Left NEEDTOBREATHE
In April 2020, the news dropped: Bo was out.
The official statement was polite—the usual "wish him the best" stuff. But Bo later opened up about why he really walked away. He was drowning. He was struggling with severe alcoholism and a "unmanageable" lifestyle. Most importantly, he had started intensive therapy to deal with memories of childhood sexual abuse that he’d suppressed for decades.
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He realized he couldn't heal while staying in the "toxic combination" of a rock-and-roll touring cycle.
Since the split, the two have taken very different paths:
- Bear Rinehart has kept the NEEDTOBREATHE machine running. He also launched a solo project called Wilder Woods (named after his sons, Wilder and Woods), which leans more into soul and R&B.
- Bo Rinehart reinvented himself as Coy Roy. His music is more "art-rock," and he uses it to process his trauma and recovery. His debut single "I'm Right Here" specifically deals with his six-year-old self.
The 2025 Allegations: A New Level of Pain
Just when fans thought the brothers might eventually reunite, everything shattered again in June 2025.
Bo posted a series of heavy allegations on Instagram, accusing Bear of "physical, emotional, and sexual abuse" during their childhood. It sent shockwaves through the industry. Bear responded quickly, calling the claims "wildly misleading" and "deeply painful."
In a rare moment of transparency, Bear revealed that both brothers had been sexually abused by a teenage counselor at their father's church camp when they were only eight and six years old. Bear’s perspective was that Bo was conflating their shared trauma from an outside predator with their own childhood fights.
Honestly, it’s a tragedy that has played out in the most public way possible. They both deleted the posts shortly after, but the damage was done. The "Brother" era felt like a lifetime ago.
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What We Get Wrong About the Split
Most people think Bo left because he wanted to do solo music. That's part of it, but it's mostly a story about survival. You've got two men who experienced horrific things as children, grew up in the "goldfish bowl" of a pastor's home, and then spent twenty years in a high-pressure industry where their trauma was masked by success.
Where They Stand Today
As of early 2026, the rift seems wider than ever.
- NEEDTOBREATHE continues as a powerhouse band, even after the 2025 departure of longtime bassist Seth Bolt. Bear is still the face of the group.
- Bo Rinehart is focused on his art and his solo work as Coy Roy, prioritizing his mental health over the mainstream spotlight.
- Reconciliation is the word Bear keeps using, but he’s admitted it would take a miracle.
The "rivalry" people talked about for years wasn't just about who wrote the better hook. It was two brothers trying to process the same trauma in two very different ways.
If you're a fan wanting to support them, the best thing you can do is engage with their current work on its own terms. Check out Bo’s Coy Roy project if you want to see his visual and musical evolution. If you’re still a die-hard for the band’s sound, Bear’s latest Wilder Woods album, Curioso, offers a window into where his head is at right now.
Understanding that their "breakup" wasn't a PR stunt but a desperate need for space is the first step in respecting the music they made together. Sometimes, the most "brotherly" thing you can do is let each other walk different paths.