"Using the baby is diabolical"— Fans react as Brian McKnight brings his toddler on stage post biological children controversy  

Last week, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor Brian McKnight took to Instagram to share a video of his 17-month-old son Brian Kainoa Makoa Jr. joining him on stage while on tour in June.

The post showed the Gemini crooner reaching the high note while performing one of his songs and holding the toddle in his arms. The kid, who was wearing a hoodie and a pair of headphones, appeared to approve of his father’s performance as he clapped at the end.

“BRIAN JR.’S DEBUT with DADDY at Universal Orlando at Hard Rock Live last Friday 06/28/2024 @hardrockliveorlando. 18 months old and 18 countries visited so far,” McKnight captioned his post.

In a follow-up post, the 55-year-old Buffalo native shared another video from the same concert and thanked the Orlando live audience for witnessing the “incredible father and son moment.” He shares Jr. with his now-wife Leilani Mendoza.

Brain McKnight’s posts come three months after he was criticized for calling his four other estranged biological kids “product(s) of sin” on Instagram. Last October, he was also slammed for changing his name to Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. to become a senior to his now-toddler son Brian Jr., despite already being a father to his eldest biological son, another Brian Jr.

In the wake of these, the multiple-time Grammy winner is now facing online backlash for introducing his newborn onstage while disowning and disregarding his other children.

For instance, Instagram user @javonchambers89 commented on The Shade Room’s repost of McKnight’s recent videos by writing:

“Using the baby is diabolical.”

A netizen calls out Brian McKnight. (Image via Instagram/ javonchambers89)

Here are some other similar reactions from X.

“No rebrands for Brian McKnight sorry,” a person wrote.

“Abandoning one’s family and starting a new one is nasty work,” another person wrote.

“Now he trying to pull the kid card? Why not bring one of his eldest children on stage? Might actually get sympathy from that,” a netizen wrote.

“Everrr. He’s awful to his other children. I know they’re heartbroken watching him cosplay a good father,” another netizen wrote.

“Men like these love the kids when they’re babies still + still with the mother. Second either of those facts change, he’s out,” a user wrote.

“Right. Still a deadbeat,” another user wrote.

“Exactly, he is a b*m and only takes care of his kids he likes,” an individual wrote.

Meanwhile, others found Brian McKnight’s onstage moments with his toddler son “cute.”

“The cutest thing everrrrrr,” a fan wrote.

Notably, in the caption of his now-viral video, the Superhero singer asked his social media followers to stay tuned as he would share more “McKnight Family moments,” soon. He also added:

“Thank you God for always protecting and blessing us keeping us safe in our own little world while taking Brian Jr. all over the world. Feeling so incredibly grateful to be able to enjoy His greatest gift to the full, completely present celebrating every moment of every day as we love and nurture our family.”

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In brief, exploring the controversy surrounding Brian McKnight

Earlier this year, a fan defended Brian McKnight’s decision to disown his four oldest biological kids explaining that some families are often “pure evil” and can disrupt your life, so it’s better to stay away from them.

In response, the Ten singer said during one of his Instagram Q&A sessions how he was grateful for the fan’s comment and noted:

“I wanna big up my man right here. He gets it.”

McKnight further pinned the comment on his video and echoed similar sentiments saying that “to live a life that you love, you have to get rid of the evil and the negativity – even if that evil and negativity is related.”

Meanwhile, others chimed in and called him out for not recognizing his other biological kids and going “against God.” Brian McKnight responded by saying that he didn’t “raise” his other children and called them “product of sin.”

Before these back and forth with his followers, in October 2023, the Back At One crooner was put under fire after legally changing his name to match that of his newborn son, whom he deemed as his sole “legacy.” McKnight was also slammed for recognizing his stepchildren but not his own.

For those uninitiated, Brian McKnight shares his eldest kids, sons Brian Jr. and Niko with his former wife Julie McKnight. He is also the father of daughter Briana and son Clyde whom he shares from a previous relationship.