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Brian McKnight recently changed his name, and he revealed the same through an Instagram post on October 21, 2023, announcing the birth of his son. He wrote that he has named his son Brian Kainoa Makora Jr., and his legal name will be Brian Kainoa Makora McKnight Sr.
While netizens were criticizing Brian for the name change, his 33-year-old son, Brian McKnight Jr., also slammed him for the same on Instagram. The singer was also accused of ignoring his four biological children by changing his name.
Meanwhile, McKnight has not responded to the criticism until now.
Brian McKnight's son criticizes his father for the name change
Brian McKnight changed his name by adding the word Sr. to the end. Also, he welcomed a baby on Saturday, October 21, and revealed through Instagram that his son will also be featured in his new album titled Lullabies. He said he changed his name because he wanted to keep his newborn as the real junior.
On October 22, 2023, McKnight Jr. shared a statement on his Instagram Story, writing that he is "not ashamed" of the name of his ancestors. He described the act as an "obscene level of self-hate," which has changed to "mental illness."
"All we can do is pray for that man, and my new little brother, who we will all welcome with open arms one day, once he realizes who his real family is. Legacy isn't in the name. It's in the character of the people. It will all be quite clear soon, just who's on the right side of all this, because there's no escaping what's coming," he continued.
As per Us Weekly, McKnight and Leilani dated for three years before getting married in 2017. Leilani has served as a pediatric neurophysiologist at UCLA in the past.
Brian McKnight has six children from his marriages
Apart from being a singer and songwriter, Brian McKnight is the father of six children born from his marriage to Julie McKnight and Leilani Mendoza.
According to Essence, Brian tied the knot with Julie McKnight in 1990. The duo had two children, including McKnight Jr. and Nico McKnight. Brian and Julie separated in 2003.
Brian was then romantically linked to Leilani Mendoza in 2014, and they got engaged in 2017. They exchanged vows the same year, and their only son, Brian Kainoa Makoa Jr., was born recently. Mendoza is the mother of two other kids from her previous relationship.
Yahoo states that Brian and Leilani were expecting another child named Kekoa Matteo in 2022, who died due to a miscarriage. McKnight later addressed the loss in a social media post in May 2022, where Brian was holding the baby bump of his wife. He wrote that it was not easy for Leilani to bear the loss and added:
"The strength I saw in you through the loss of our son and the courage to deal with the hardest loss we've ever dealt with in our lives has been truly remarkable. I am in awe."
Also known as Brian Kelly McKnight, he has released 16 albums and is popular for his singles like One Last Cry, Crazy Love, Still in Love, and more.
