Brian McKnight is under fire. Several fans and supporters are calling him a deadbeat father for allegedly disowning his biological children. He has four children from former relationships Brian Jr., Briana, Niko, and Clyde.
Twitter users have noticed that McKnight often praises his stepchildren in Instagram posts while not acknowledging his biological children in any posts.
The backlash comes after a resurfaced Instagram post from 2020 was recently posted where McKnight wrote he was happy for his stepdaughter making him a girl dad.
“Jules I became a girl dad because of YOU and I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter,” McKnight wrote on the caption. “Visiting you on campus and seeing how happy you are living in this beach house with all your friends for your senior year reminded us both of how proud we are of the woman you have become and the incredible student you continue to be. Here’s to you Jules, the perfect daughter I always wanted.”
It has also been pointed out how McKnight’s Instagram bio says he’s the father of Julia, Jack, Kekoa Matteo, and Brian Kainoa Makoa. The bio blatantly disregards his four biological children.
McKnight and his four biological children have been estranged for years. In 2019, he addressed him and his children’s distant relationship in a video.
“I’ve never missed a day of child support,” he said in the video. “I’ve never done anything adverse to my children whatsoever. I’ve always been there. I’ve always been there with advice, whether they took it or not. I have always been the sounding board and I’ve always been the one who had to help them achieve whatever dreams that they were wanting to reach out for.”
His children Brian Jr. and Briana seem to have different versions of the truth.
Brian Jr. talked about him and his father’s relationship on Facebook in 2019.
“I don’t think there is any situation that merits the way my father has chosen to treat my brother, my sisters, and his grandchildren,” he said. To have absolutely no empathy for the type of life be [sic] introduced us to, only to come to resent us for that life catching up with us. It breaks my heart, but not for myself, specifically for my siblings, and my children. They don’t deserve this at all.”
Briana shared her thoughts about her father’s alleged abandonment in an Instagram post in
McKnight was married to songwriter Julie McKnight from 1990 to 2003. From that union Brian and Niko were born. He had Briana with his former partner, Patricia Driver.
was previously married to songwriter Julie McKnight between 1990 to 2003. Brian and Niko came from that union while he had Briana with his former partner, Patricia Driver. Clyde’s mother’s identity is unknown.
McKnight and Leilani Mendoza married in 2017.
