Brian McKnight Denies Abandoning His Kids: I’ve Never Missed A Day Of Child Support, It’s Time For Tough Love! 

Brian Mcknight

Brian McKnight Denies Abandoning His Kids: I’ve Never Missed A Day Of Child Support, It’s Time For Tough Love!

Singer Brian McKnight said he has not abandoned his children. His oldest son, Brian Mcknight, Jr. and his daughter Briana McKnight, sent social media into a frenzy when they called out the 90s singer for abandoning them.

McKnight said their message comes after he posted a photo of his stepson, Jack, whose mother is McKnight’s new wife, Leilani McKnight. They married in 2017.

Leilani McKnight, Brian McKnight

In response to Brian, Jr., the singer said,

“I guess this stems from a post that I made the other day about my son Jack, who I’m very proud of; which isn’t to say I haven’t been proud of my other children. I’m proud of this one because of what he did that day…”

He then denied his son’s claims that he abandoned his biological children.

“Anyone who knows me knows that for the past 30 years, that I’ve been there for my children every step of the way, until recently. And let’s be clear, my two sons are 30 and 27, not 12, not 13, but 30 and 27. My daughter’s about to turn 18 but that’s not another story I’ll get to in a second. I’ve never missed a day of child support, I’ve never done anything adverse to my children whatsoever. I’ve always been there for advice, whether they took it or not. I have always been the sounding board, I have always been the one that tried to help them achieve whatever dreams they wanted to reach out for. I guess one of my only faults is that I gave my children everything that I didn’t have in the hopes that they would appreciate it, because I know how much I would have appreciated it when I was their age.”

He added that this one of the biggest mistakes parents can make and he started to give them tough love when they were in their 20s. He said he helped them his two oldest sons, Niko and Brian, Jr. with an apartment for two years and told them it was time to grow up, and that after the two years were up, they would have to start being responsible for themselves. He said when the two years were over, they didn’t keep their end of the deal. At the same time, he started dating Leilani. 

“And let’s be clear, Leilani has been one of the only people who has been an advocate to keeping us together, to keeping us having a relationship because she wants to have the nuclear family as much as I did, and they have spit in her face at every turn.”

He revealed his wife got his oldest children jobs at the children’s hospital where she worked, but they refused to stop smoking and knew they wouldn’t pass the required drug test. He reiterated that he didn’t abandon his children, but said they are “estranged.” He then explained that Brian, Jr. broke into their home and put X’s on the eyes of his and Leilani’s wedding pictures.  He replaced a photo of the couple with a photo of the singer and his first wife, who is the mother of his children. McKnight said he dedicated a whole song to Brian, Jr. called 42, and Niko produced it. He said he expressed how proud he was of them at the time. He also mentioned that Brian, Jr. and Niko were best men at his wedding to Leilani. 

He also pointed out that while Brian, Jr. could have been referring to Jack’s new car, Brian, Jr. received three brand-new cars before he was 22.

“It’s not about money, it’s about respect. Respect goes both ways. Even with family there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed. It’s crazy to me that people will believe anything… It’s time for grwon men to be grown men. I’m sorry that tough love has to be this way. I wish them the best. I want them to reach their dreams and their full potential but like any other man in the world, you gotta go out there and you gotta take it.”

He then opened up about his daughter, Briana, who he said at one point was on good terms with him, Leilani and Jack. But he said things recently went left after rumors in the family.

“Unfortunately a couple of years ago I got wind that there was an older cousin who was above 18, who was quite possibly having sex with her, so I called, as a father should to the state office for children’s affairs there in Arizona and I never heard anything back. But the next thing her mother did was block all of us from her social media on her phone and completely estranged her from us. So what that told me was they didn’t want me to be involved in her life that way…So to see the post she said, considering her mother only had a child with me for money in the first place… I don’t know where all of this is coming from.”

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