Brian McKnight accuses ex-wife Julie and son Brian Jr. of orchestrating a ‘malicious character assassination’ attempt in lawsuit

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In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Atlanta, Brian McKnight claims his former wife, Julie McKnight, and their son, Brian McKnight Jr., teamed up with the media and bloggers to damage his reputation.

According to court documents, the singer, 56, claims his family collaborated with the New York Post and bloggers Marc Lamont Hill and Tasha K to make money by damaging his reputation.

According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, the entertainer, who was born in Buffalo, New York, claims those involved spread a misleading story that he had abandoned his children. He states this narrative is false.

In court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, the Grammy-nominated singer claimed another false accusation against him was that he never told his son, Niko, who sadly passed away from cancer in May 2025 at age 32, that he loved him.

As a longtime fan, it’s heartbreaking to hear how these false claims have really impacted his life. His lawyers have explained that he’s not only suffered damage to his career, but also personally – it’s affected his family and his reputation, and it’s all because of the things those people he’s suing have said.

The Daily Mail has contacted Brian McKnight, his wife Julie, and their son Brian McKnight Jr. for a response to this story.

According to McKnight, constant attacks on his reputation forced him to take legal action.

The lawsuit was filed over four months after the New York Post published an article on December 5, 2025, with the headline ‘Brian McKnight’s ex-wife criticizes singer for not telling his dying son, Niko, “I love you.”’

McKnight referenced an Instagram post from his son, Brian McKnight Jr., dated August 2019, claiming the post falsely suggested he had abandoned his children, according to court documents.

In a social media post, Brian McKnight Jr. reportedly said something along the lines of, ‘I would never leave my kids,’ according to a legal complaint filed by McKnight.

In his court documents, McKnight stated that the social media post was used as the basis for spreading lies about him.

The claim that McKnight had abandoned his children was untrue. This false statement was widely shared on social media, remains available online, and was never taken back or corrected.

In a legal document, McKnight stated that the false claim made by his son – that he was an abandoning or rejecting father – has formed the basis of a continuing story that has circulated for almost six years.

The singer pointed out that the story intentionally hid the fact that his conflicts with his sons happened when they were grown adults, not when they were children and he was their father.

In his legal documents, Brian McKnight mentioned interviews his son, Brian McKnight Jr., and daughter, Julie McKnight, gave to Marc Lamont Hill in late 2025.

He claimed he was wrongly depicted as a father who withheld affection from his son as he was dying and left him feeling emotionally unsupported in his final days.

In a court document, McKnight stated that his former wife and son repeated the main claim against him: that he didn’t communicate with his son while he was sick and didn’t tell him he loved him.

The singer is seeking damages in the lawsuit. 

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2026-04-27 03:03