Source: Patrick McMullan / Getty
As we know familial ties can be complicated and even more so under the limelight of Hollywood. Singer Brian McKnight’s son and daughter both took to social media to accuse their father of being a deadbeat dad.
The singer has four children, three of which are from his previous marriage to Julie McKnight. He has since remarried in 2017.
Brian McKnight Jr., who goes by the nickname BJ, posted first, reflecting on the pain he feels over the strained relationship he has with his celebrity father. He also accused his dad of not spending time with his grandchildren.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1NKKdnh7uN/
“I can’t imagine abandoning my children man. Its hard not to imagine the psyche of a man who can truly just turn his back on his actual sons, on his actual blood, and creations. It’s mind boggling to me. I don’t think there is any situation that merits the way my father has chosen to treat my brother, my sisters, and his grandchildren, one of which being his first born’s, first born son, who also bares our name,” he wrote.
“It breaks my heart, but not for myself, specifically for my siblings, and my children. They don’t deserve this at all, not open bit. And I’m not letting shit slide, not for one second. I’ve tried my best to take the high road, and be the bigger man, and all that positive shit, but there is a much bigger issue here, when it comes to black fathers, especially in entertainment that need to be addressed.”
“It’s time to tell our side of the story,” he wrote in closing. BJ is following in the legacy of his father and is a singer himself. This isn’t the first time he’s called out his father over abandonment. Last month, he posted about his relationship with the singer, signaling that more commentary was yet to come.
BJ’s sister Briana echoed her big brother’s sentiments in a post of her own.
“Daddy’s little girl” was never really a thing for me. Nobody understands what I’ve been through except for my siblings. Believe it or not, I’m not always the person I seem to be. I’m not always happy and most of the time I’m battling my own demons just like everyone else. I grew up thinking that the things that happened to me and my dad’s relationship was my fault,” she began.
She went on to say that the moments where she had her father’s attention were few and far between, even on birthdays. She in turn thanked her older brother’s for stepping into his role.
“I don’t usually write things like this but I feel like enough is enough and like BJ, I want to share my side of the story. I hope that there’s someone out there that has gone or is going through the same thing. Some teenage girl who deals with this shit constantly who can relate to me and tell her side of the story and know that she’s not alone,” she closed with.
These posts are truly heartbreaking and we hope that the family can come to a resolution and that hearts and minds are healed.
