Why Brian McKnight's Name Change Caused Drama With His Kids

Brian McKnight went from being one of America's most beloved R&B singers of the 1990s to a man more closely associated with publicly abandoning and shaming his children, putting Brian at risk of becoming sadly estranged from his kids like several other celebs. The "Back at One" hitmaker faced major backlash in October 2023 when Brian legally changed his name to match that of his youngest child, whom the singer had just welcomed into the world with his wife, Leilani Mendoza. The multiple Grammy nominated artist shared on his Instagram page that his son's name was Brian Kainoa Makoa Jr. 

In solidarity with the new arrival, the R&B superstar noted, "I am also proud to officially announce that I have legally changed my name to exactly match my legacy's." As thoughtful as he evidently thought this was, many followers raised their eyebrows at the decision with several even condemning the "Love of My Life" hitmaker for the move, not least because he already has a son named Brian McKnight Jr., from his previous marriage. In response to the backlash, Jr. wrote, "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."

Much like fellow superstar Tom Cruise, who has exhibited plenty of signs that he's estranged from daughter Suri Cruise, Brian McKnight has been publicly feuding with his kids for quite some time. Their issues originally surfaced online in 2019, when Brian decried them as "entitled," as Essence reported at the time. The R&B fought back against criticism over him treating his stepchildren better, arguing that he had always been there to offer advice and support to all of his kids, as well as the requisite financial support too. However, Brian McKnight Jr. responded to his father's post on Facebook by clarifying that he and his siblings were mistreated. 

"To have absolutely no empathy for the type of life be [sic] introduced us to, only to become 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," the musician wrote. According to Essence, Briana McKnight, the "Anytime" hitmaker's daughter from his previous marriage, took to Instagram in 2019 to explain in a since-deleted post that she had suffered considerably from the absence of her father in her life. 

In 2020, she even filed a lawsuit against him for defamation on social media after the R&B star publicly accused Briana of sleeping with an underage cousin. Even worse, Brian once called his four eldest children "products of sin" in an Instagram video after proclaiming, "In order to live a life that you love, you have to get rid of the evil and the negativity — even if that evil and negativity is related [to you]." Regardless of everything, the "Crazy Love" hitmaker released a series on his Instagram entitled "Fatherhood Fridays" in September 2024, in which he shared his perspective on being a dad.