Brian McKnight’s ex-wife, Julie McKnight, and his son, Niko McKnight, are speaking out after the R&B singer addressed recent online claims that he abandoned his adult children from previous relationships. See their reactions, plus Brian’s video inside…
Brian McKnight took to his Instagram yesterday (May 12th) to respond to recent online claims that he had abandoned his adult children from previous relationships, sparking another round of controversy.
According to the “Back At One” singer, he and his adult children had mutually agreed to go their separate ways a long time ago.
“To whom it may concern: NO ABANDONMENT , NO MADE UP STORY, NO FALSE STATEMENTS, NO DEFAMATION. Full video to follow on my YOUTUBE channel,” he wrote in the caption along with the defamation case number and screenshots of the paperwork.
In the video, the “Anytime” singer made it clear that he loves his wife, Leilani, and their blended family, and he remains unaffected by the online community’s opinions regarding his distance from his other biological children. His first post’s caption asserts that there was no abandonment, fabrications, false accusations, or defamation involved.
“There has been a lot of discussion online lately and talk about my family on social media. Typically I prefer not to give attention to the internet trolls, but now my family is being harassed online and accosted in public. Apparently, because some people can’t handle seeing my happily ever after. Coming after me is one thing, but the moment you come after my wife and our children is another story because even more important to me than defending my name is defending and protecting them.”
Watch the clip above.
In another video, he said, “I’ve never abandoned anyone. Our estrangement was mutual. But those posts made any roads towards reconciliation and acknowledging them a dead issue. And I changed my will the next day.”
The Grammy nominated singer referred to old social media posts by his children, Brian Jr. and Briana, dating back to 2019. The siblings took to Instagram to share lengthy posts, accusing their father of abandoning them. Their posts garnered widespread attention, and many online users came out in support of the siblings, condemning Brian’s actions.
“I’ve spent the last 30-plus years building a recognized, respectable name. And ironically, there are still people out there who are trying to smear my name while still carrying it, hoping to use it for their own benefit.”
He continued: “I make absolutely no apologies for naming my infant son Brian. I want him and the world to know that he is the one who is my true legacy. So I’ll be over here continuing to love and protect my wife, and our children, as we continue to love our life.”
Here’s the post that reignited the family drama on social media:
Brian has four living children who are biologically related to him. His youngest child was born to Leilani, and he has three other children named Brian Jr., Niko, and Briana from his past relationships. Unfortunately, Brian and Leilani lost their first son, Kekoa Matteo, last year.
Many people were upset with the R&B crooner in the last two weeks because he showed a lot of love for his wife, their second biological son, and his stepdaughter Julia. He once said in an interview that the music he made before he met Leilani didn’t mean anything to him anymore. He also said that Julia made him become a “girl dad,” even though he already had a grown-up daughter named Briana. His youngest child’s name is Brian McKnight Jr., even though he already had an adult son with the same name.
“There is a very simple reason why I post about some of my children on social media and not others,” Brian said. “The children that I do not currently have relationships with, I don’t post about them. Instead, I post the children in which I do have relationships with, with whom I am proud of.”
He unapologetically stood by his parenting approach and boldly stated that his estrangement from his biological children was a mutual decision. Despite the online backlash, the renowned musician refused to back down from his position, asserting that he had done nothing wrong. His unyielding attitude has sparked a heated debate, with some applauding his unapologetic stance and others vehemently opposing it.
Earlier this year, in February, Brian McKnight and his daughter Briana reached a mutual agreement to dismiss a defamation lawsuit. According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, Briana had accused her father of maliciously defaming her by alleging that she had a sexual relationship with a male relative when she was a minor.
Briana vehemently denied the claim, and the lawsuit caused quite a stir in the media. In the IG videos, Brian shared he and Briana agreed to drop the suit after he paid her over $300,000 and noted that she she didn’t ask for an apology or for him to retract his statement.
“She did not ask for an apology or even ask that I remove the alleged false statement from the internet. All she asked for and all she wanted was money. The case was dismissed before there was any decision on whether my statement about her was defamatory. We settled the case earlier this year, and I agreed to pay Briana some money, but here’s the interesting part. She sued me for defamation and breach of a million-dollar life insurance policy and I agreed to pay her $318,000 with no admission of any wrong-doing whatsoever.”
The case’s dismissal was a significant development in the ongoing feud between the father and daughter, but it has done little to quell the controversies that continue to surround the family.
Julie McKnight, Brian McKnight’s ex-wife and the mother of his sons Brian Jr. and Niko, recently shared her reaction on Instagram to Brian’s recent statements. In her post, she essentially tells Brian to “shut up.”
She posted a meme that said, “JUST. STOP. TALKING. #DONTPOKETHEBEAR ‘MAMABEAR’ 2023.”
Julie also posted a video about maintaining high vibrations during the drama:
Brian’s son, Niko, also reacted to his dad’s new videos:
“Nothing but positivity on this side bozo. stay tuned lol,” he wrote on IG Stories.
The “Crazy Love” singer urged his fans to watch his perspective on his YouTube channel, which you can check out below:
A mess! Nobody wins when the family feuds.
Photo: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
