Brian McKnight addresses the narrative around his complex family dynamics and gives his side of the story.

Brian McKnight has broken his silence following the death of his estranged son Niko McKnight, who died at 32 last week after a battle with cancer. However, the R&B singer’s statement did not appear to hit the right note with fans. 

Tuesday evening, the 55-year-old singer took to Instagram to address his son’s death and call out some of the narratives around his family dynamics being pushed by others online, in particular by his brother Claude McKnight, who was among the first to publicly announce Niko’s death. 

“A big big thanks to Claude McKnight’s tasteless and self aggrandizing announcement on TikTok, that frankly was not his to make,” his lengthy post began both in the caption and as a voiceover in a video. “In my opinion, he inserted himself and used Niko’s death as an opportunity, instead of letting him pass with respect and dignity. It has instead turned into a circus, a mockery of a life now lost, making this tragedy into a reality show type drama.”

After Niko died, McKnight said he and his family traveled to Maui to celebrate his life with a private memorial where they remembered “all the good times” they shared. Then he recalled a not-so-rosy memory. 

“The last time he and I spoke, we offered him all the help we could provide; we had the number one oncologist on deck for him and a team of specialists on standby with private care in our home. He and his mother declined,” McKnight claimed. “The door of communication was open and remained open until his death.”

The McKnight family’s complex dynamics have been well known for years. In 2024, the singer made headlines when he referred to Niko and his siblings as “products of sin” to justify distancing himself from his first four children upon remarrying. 

Niko, who was battling cancer at the time, pushed back against his father’s statements on social media and highlighted past grievances and instances of hurt. His mother, McKnight’s ex-wife, singer Julie McKnight, called the comments emotionally and mentally abusive. 

At the time, McKnight accused Julie of barring him from contributing to Niko’s care, which she called a false narrative. Meanwhile, Niko posted on X that he just wanted to hear from his father during such a trying time. 

“When I was about to die in the hospital from complications from my cancer, I just wanted to bury the hatchet and hear him say he loves me and he told me he couldn’t arbitrarily tell me he loves me,” he posted. “Still cuts so deep.”

In his post on Tuesday, McKnight doubled down that he was denied the ability to help his son.

“To the self-proclaimed ‘mama bear, ‘ may God have mercy on your soul for not allowing him to accept that help and not allowing him to use that line of communication,” he continued. “There is great comfort in knowing God knows the TRUTH and the totality of the WHOLE story. I am truly thankful for the immense peace God has given me. I’ve left everything in HIS hands. I have a clear conscience. The only judgment that matters is God’s.”

Comments have been turned off on the post, though that hasn’t stopped many from expressing their thoughts on the fraught statement. Many social media users have been calling out the statement for being more about McKnight than the actual tragedy, for putting down a mother mourning her son, and more. 

“For everyone saying that we don’t know the whole story, that’s not the point,” wrote a user on Threads. “The point is, his son just died of cancer, and he used this video to talk about himself and take shots at people – rather than expressing grief and celebrating his life. This video is literally about him, not Niko.”

A user on X added, “…if you are speaking poorly on the mother of your child and blaming everyone else but yourself while your late son isn’t even buried in the ground yet, I am wishing you the worst!”

McKnight is a father of eight, including his biological and stepchildren. After sharing Brian Jr. and Niko with his ex-wife Julie, he also has a daughter, Briana McKnight, and another son, Clyde McKnight, from other past relationships. In 2017, he remarried to Dr. Leilani Malia Mendoza and has welcomed a son together in January 2023 named Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Jr. (The singer changed his legal name to match that of his most recent son.) The couple, unfortunately, experienced the loss of a child in infancy, and he is stepfather to Mendoza’s two children from a previous relationship.