After the devastating news that one of singer Brian McKnight Sr.’s sons died of cancer, many were shocked to find out the “Still in Love” singer never made any efforts to contact him while he was alive. With years of ongoing drama coming to a breaking point now, we’re unpacking the strange and almost unbelievable timeline surrounding McKnight and the children he refuses to claim.
McKnight married his first wife, singer Julie McKnight, in 1990. The couple lasted for over a decade, and together they had two sons. Like any loving father, McKnight named his eldest boy Brian McKnight Jr. Following in his father’s footsteps, Brian Jr. has since released his own music.
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The ex-couple’s second son, Nikolas, worked as a photographer in California. His mother confirmed he sadly passed away after a two year battle with cancer. Over the years, Niko and his father have gone back and forth on social media, but it wasn’t always bad blood between the family. Here’s where everything went wrong…
After Julie and McKnight got a divorce in 2003, he was still an active part of his sons’ lives. Niko even performed with his dad on FOX’s “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet” in 2008. McKnight eventually married his second wife, Leilani Malia Mendoza in 2017. Just a couple years later, the family dynamics began shifting drastically.
In 2019, McKnight hinted at tensions between him and his kids. “I’ve never missed a day of child support,” he said in a 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.”
Brian Jr clapped back on Facebook saying, “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, one of which being his first born’s, first born son, who also bares our name.”
McKnight eldest daughter, Briana, also spoke out during this time saying although her father’s estrangement hurts her, she’s thankful that her brothers filled in the gaps. Her mother, Patricia Driver, gave birth while McKnight was still married to his first wife.
In 2023, McKnight and his wife, Leilani, gave birth to their first child together, a son named… wait for it… Brian McKnight Jr., not to be confused with his oldest son with the same name. In response to the double junior debacle, Brian Jr. (the first one) said “I’m not ashamed of the name my ancestors had. I’ll never change the name my own son now has. We are witnessing an obscene level of self hate, that has reached mental illness status at this point.”
McKnight then came out in 2024 calling his eldest children a “product of sin,” which as you can expect reignited flames between the estranged family. Julie called out her ex-husband saying, “The point at the end of every negative situation… it’s to only keep you down to where they thought they had you because they were the author of an extremely abusive situation emotionally, mentally,” on Instagram.
Niko did address his father’s “product of sin” comment on X, amid his personal battle with cancer. He died one year later at age 32. McKnight now refers to his stepchildren and his infant son as his only kids.
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