It's no secret that Brian McKnight and his children have a complicated relationship, and currently, the performer is facing a great deal of criticism for how differently he speaks about each of them. Earlier this week, he hopped online to respond to a commenter questioning how his biological daughter Briana must feel about being disowned by her father and watching him praise his step-daughter Julia online. Instead of acknowledging Briana, however, he simply referred to Julia as his “one and only daughter.”
“She feels great,” he said of Julia in a clip posted on Instagram. “See, Julia understands the scripture Exodus 20:12, where it says, and I quote, ‘Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days be long upon the land..’ See, she honors us, and in turn, we honor her because she knows how proud of her we are.”
Brian McKnight Refers To Julia As His “One And Only Daughter"
In a follow-up video, McKnight responded to a fan coming to his defense, claiming that he had to remove his biological children from his life to find happiness. “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,” he explained. “We want everyone to live a life that they love but in order to do that you have to get rid of that evil and negativity.”
For obvious reasons, social media users aren't feeling McKnight's response. "Dude out here justifying abandoning his kid. He should just not talk about it in public. Sad," one commenter writes. "YOUR SON IS BATTLING CANCER FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!" another notes. What do you think of Brian McKnight praising his step-daughter Julia while refusing to acknowledge his biological children? Do you think he deserves all of the backlash he's receiving online? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.