What did Jaguar Wright say about Brian McKnight? Singer sues former over claims about his ex-wife 

Brian McKnight has filed a defamation lawsuit against fellow R&B singer and songwriter, Jaguar Wright, TMZ and The Jasmine Brand reported. As per the civil suit, the latter went on social media and falsely accused Brian of being an abusive husband as well as “hiring prostitutes and physically abusing them during s*xual encounters.”

Reportedly, Wright claimed that McKnight’s former wife, Julie, is her cousin. In the wake of this allegation, he is now suing the Denials, Delusions, and Decisions singer.

“I never abused my ex-wife and had no idea about her alleged relation to Jaguar,” the court document read.

Brian McKnight has also denied the allegations regarding the hiring and abuse of female s*x workers and referred to them as “blatant lies.” He has accused Jaguar Wright of knowingly and maliciously attempting to smear his name in public during her online rants and is seeking compensation for the damages to his reputation.

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Brian McKnight recently faced criticism for seemingly abandoning his four adult children

On April 22, 2025, Brian McKnight was criticized by a fan in a social media comment for disowning his adult children, being an absentee father for years, and going against God. He responded by writing that his kids were “products of sin” who were raised by their mother and his ex-wife, Julie.

When another follower defended him, Brian wrote in a follow-up comment,

“I wanna big up my man right here. He gets it. In order to live a life that you love, you have to get rid of the evil and the negativity — even if that evil and negativity are related.”

Julie McKnight seemingly responded to her former husband by going on Instagram and sharing a video post of herself where she said:

“The point of every negative situation, whether it’s an illness whether it’s a fool that you have to deal with because they keep entering your life when you are no longer giving any more energy to it, is to only keep you down to where they thought they had you because they were the author of an extremely abusive situation emotionally, mentally.”

She added,

“And they’re no good at not being the center of attention anymore. So, when everybody pulls that away, it’s like a kid without candy who throws a tantrum…”

Julie and Brian McKnight were married for 13 years between 1990 and 2003. They had two sons, Brian Jr. and Niko; however, they have long been estranged from their father.

Notably, the One Last Cry crooner also has a daughter named Briana with his former girlfriend, Patricia Driver, and a son named Clyde. The identity of Clyde’s mother remains a mystery. Reportedly, he is also estranged from these two kids, who are also adults.

Brian McKnight has been married to Leilani Malia Mendoza since 2017, and they share a 2-year-old son named Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Jr. Following his birth in 2023, the singer-songwriter legally changed his name to Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. He is a stepfather to Leilani’s daughter Julia, from a past relationship.

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Over the years, the 55-year-old Buffalo native has shared that he wanted to use social media to spread positivity and steer clear of any toxic attachments, including his four adult biological children.

Meanwhile, Jaguar Wright has also faced controversy in recent times, especially for her comments about Sean "Diddy" Combs' ongoing legal case and for accusing Jay-Z and Beyonce of allegedly exploiting members of the industry.

Her remarks came during her appearance on English journalist Piers Morgan's show. Later, Morgan had to apologize for airing Wright's comments.