Singer Brian McKnight has sparked outrage for his treatment of his biological children, with fans calling for a boycott of his music.
The controversy began in April when McKnight, a Seventh-day Adventist, posted a video saying, “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 is related.”
Fans accused him of disowning his children, to which McKnight responded, “God wasn’t talking about children that are the product of sin, which these are… I didn’t raise them, their mothers did.”
His comments led to a backlash, with fans vowing not to attend his concerts. McKnight’s Detroit show saw a significant drop in ticket sales, and his D.C. concert was postponed from July to November.
In a recent video, McKnight addressed the drama, saying, “There’s so many false narratives out there about my fans having stopped supporting me… Just because something is reported on IG or Youtube, that doesn’t make it true.”
He also called out radio host Rickey Smiley, who had spoken out about “kids that have been abandoned by fathers.” McKnight invited Smiley to appear on his platform, Fatherhood Fridays, to discuss the issue.
McKnight has five biological children, all of whom have publicly claimed to have been abandoned by him. His eldest son, Brian Jr., and daughter, Niko, were born to his ex-wife Julie, while his other children, Briana, Clyde, and Braylinn, were born to different mothers.
Despite his denials, McKnight’s actions have sparked outrage. One fan wrote, “Nobody tear us down like us? Is that right? This f—k!ng d—khead sat there and said his bio kids were made out of sin and he never loved his wife.”
Another added, “This fool described his oldest kids as ‘…born out of sin…’ AROUND THE SAME TIME ONE OF THEM WAS GOING THROUGH CHEMO FOR STAGE 3 CANCER.”
McKnight’s son, Niko, revealed that he had tried to reconcile with his father while in the hospital with cancer complications, but McKnight “couldn’t arbitrarily tell me he loves me. Still cuts so deep.”
The singer’s daughter, Briana, sued him in 2021 for defamation and invasion of privacy, with the case settled in 2023.
McKnight’s Instagram bio has also come under fire for only mentioning his stepchildren and biological son with his current wife, Leilani, and not his four biological children from previous relationships.
