Michael Franti Admits to "Regrettable Mistake" Amid Affair Rumor and Abuse Allegations

After a series of events involving Michael Franti appeared to lead to the cancellation of the Soulshine at Sea cruise, which was scheduled to set sail in November 2025, fans wanted to know what happened. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the promotion company behind the event, Sixthman, canceled the cruise tour amid rumors about Michael Franti's affair and other allegations against him.

On Aug. 11, 2025, singer Victoria Canal released a statement on Facebook where she made accusations against an unnamed musician and cited "grooming" and "sexual abuse" in the trigger warnings ahead of her post. She did not name the man responsible for the alleged behavior, but some have speculated that Michael was the mentor she described in her post. He later publicly admitted to having an affair, but he did not name the woman with whom he had an affair.

On Aug. 17, 2025, Michael posted a statement on Instagram where he admitted to having an affair seven years prior. He wrote that it was with an artist who had toured with him at the time. He also wrote that he eventually told his wife, and they worked together to work through the issues related to his relationship outside of their marriage.

"Over the course of the tour, we spent a lot of time together and soon began to feel strong emotions for one another," he wrote in his Instagram statement. "Eventually, I made the most regrettable mistake of allowing the relationship to become romantic. My wife found out about it, and to save my marriage, we ended the relationship. The artist stayed on tour with us, and we maintained a professional relationship. After the tour ended, she continued to perform at several shows."

Michael also appeared to address Victoria's Facebook post and her allegations against an unnamed musician. Without naming her, Michael wrote that he "vehemently disputes any version of the story" that claims his extramarital relationship was non-consensual. He added that he now recognizes, however, the "power imbalance" between himself and the woman he had an affair with. Again, he did not name Victoria specifically, but his post came days after hers.

Victoria's Facebook post mentions an older musician she toured with at the time of the relationship years ago. She wrote that the unnamed musician would keep her isolated and make her feel like no one else wanted her on tour so she would have only him to turn to. She also alleged that he invited her to stay with his family at one point.

"That is the terrorizing confusion of grooming," Victoria wrote in her post. "You think that person loves you, and you're too naive to possibly understand the abuse of power. Your brain convinces you you're willfully participating in it, that you actually have agency, because that's what it has to do to survive."

That narrative of Victoria's allegations while on a tour goes along with Michael admitting that he cheated on his wife while he was on tour years before he admitted to it publicly. However, at this time, neither Victoria nor Michael has mentioned the other by name.