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Singer-songwriter Brian McKnight faced flak on social media after his estranged son, Niko, responded to his Mother's Day post. In McKnight's post, he thanked his wife, Leilani Malia Mendoza, for being a wonderful mother to their son and her two adult children.
"Thank you for giving me my first experience of witnessing my child coming into this world. Then hearing his beautiful cry and that incredible moment of cutting my first umbilical cord!”
On May 15, his son, Niko, expressed his surprise on hearing that his father was not in the birthing room when he was born, claiming that he "never knew he wasn’t there."
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Niko's replies were flooded with people outraged at Brian McKnight's callous behavior towards his three estranged children, with one person proposing a boycott.
"I hope he never sells another ticket, album, or song."
Some sympathized with Niko, claiming that he and his siblings did not deserve this behavior from Brian McKnight.
"SMH you and your siblings don’t deserve this. Do you have any music we can stream to support you? We’ll spin y’all music over your dad’s music." one person tweeted.
"He ain't gone never be able to do another concert in America the people have spoken," a second person said.
"Honestly I would block his name from popping up on my socials. And if he mentions yall again sue for harassment," someone chimed in.
Others claimed that McKnight's actions were a product of himself and hoped that Niko and his siblings had a support system around them.
"His actions - both past and present - are a reflection of nobody but himself. I pray the example he has set motivates you to do the opposite. And I also pray you are surrounded by genuine love from a strong support system. I’m so sorry he continues to fail you," tweeted someone.
"I’m so sorry you and your siblings are experiencing this. I pray for you alls peace of mind and formidability. You deserve so much more," another said.
"Wishing you and your siblings peace and love, nobody should have to go through sh*t like this with a “parent”, especially publicly…hope yall heal frfr," a third person tweeted.
Exploring Brian McKnight's relationship with his three estranged children
According to People Magazine, Brian McKnight is a father of seven, including two step-children from his marriage to Leilani. McKnight and his ex-wife Julie McKnight, who were married from 1990 to 2003, share two sons, Brian Jr. and Niko.
His two sons often accompanied him to various events, and Brian Jr. even performed on stage with him at The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet in 2008. McKnight also supported his sons' musical ambition in 2009, when the two released their debut album under the name MCKNIGHT, calling himself the "proudest dad on the planet Earth."
In August 2019, Brian McKnight issued a public statement in response to Brian Jr's allegation that he "abandoned" his children. He claimed to have been there every step of the way, however, he also revealed that he would eventually cut off his eldest children.
In October 2023, Brian McKnight changed his name to Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. to "exactly match his legacy's," after his son with Leilani was born. This occurred despite sharing a name with his first son, Brian Jr., who reacted to the name change on his Instagram page.
"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.”
Brian McKnight also has a daughter from a previous relationship named Briana McKnight. Unlike her brothers, she shied away from publicity. In August 2019, Brian addressed his relationship with his daughter, alleging that her mother “completely estranged her from us" and only wanted a child with him "for money."
In 2020, Briana sued her father, claiming he "maliciously defamed" her on social media. McKnight settled the case by paying her $200K.
In a YouTube video in 2023, Brian McKnight claimed that the estrangement with his eldest three children was "mutual", saying that "any roads towards reconciliation and acknowledging them" became a "dead issue" after the posts Brian Jr and Briana made regarding him in 2019.
According to VIBE, Brian McKnight referred to his estranged children as a "product of sin" in an Instagram Q&A session in April 2024, after a fan commented that his disowning of them was an act against God.
"1. God wasn’t talking about children that are the product of sin which these are 2. I didn’t raise them, their mothers did 3. Know the whole story before quoting the Bible 4. Take your inaccurate negativity off my page and try being happy."
Brian McKnight shares one son with his wife, Brian Kainoa Makoa Jr., born in January 2023. The couple also underwent a pregnancy loss in 2022, which he revealed in a Mother's Day post that year. He has two step-children, Julia and Jack McPhee.
