Brian McKnight Jr. Claims Brian McKnight Refused to Say “I Love You” to Dying Son

The Brian McKnight family drama just hit an even colder chapter. In a new interview with Marc Lamont Hill, the R&B singer’s eldest son, Brian McKnight Jr., claims his famous father refused to tell his younger son, Niko McKnight, “I love you” while Niko fought for his life with cancer.

The feud has only grown messier, with accusations, denials, and painful details continuing to surface. Here’s what Brian Jr. says happened between Brian and his children.

On Hill’s show, Brian Jr. described what he called one of the “darkest, coldest” moments of his life. He said Niko called him during cancer treatment, terrified and emotional, after reaching out to their father for comfort. According to Brian Jr., Niko hoped his dad would simply tell him he loved him.

“My brother calls me, sobbing with all he’s going through, looking death in the eye, to tell me I’m right about telling him not to call my father because I knew what was going to happen,” Brian Jr. recalled, per The Grio. “Because I knew where my dad was. I told him, ‘Dad is gone.’ All my brother wanted, needed, asked for, was my father to tell him he loves him.”

Brian Jr. claims his father shut that request down. He alleges that Brian told Niko, “I can’t arbitrarily say that I love you,” even as his son tried to reconcile from a hospital bed. Brian Jr. said that moment confirmed everything he had warned Niko about their father’s emotional distance.

Niko publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis in January 2024, telling followers on Instagram, “Your boy got the big C.” His uncle, Take 6 singer Claude McKnight, later shared in a TikTok that Niko had battled cancer for about two years. Niko died on May 29 at age 32. His mother, Julie McKnight, confirmed his passing the following day and described him as a cherished husband, son, brother, and a self-taught artist in music and photography.

In a June Instagram video posted after Niko’s death, Brian said he did try to step up. He claimed that he and his current wife, Leilani Mendoza, arranged for Niko and his wife to fly out so Niko could receive top-tier medical care and home support. The singer also alleged that Niko’s mother, Julie, refused the offer.

Julie strongly disputed that version of events. In a statement to Page Six, she called Brian a liar and accused him of trying to control the narrative. “This is, once again, a response to bait myself & my family into his false narrative. He is a liar,” Julia said.

Brian Jr. also pushed back on his father’s narrative that the older kids were lazy or out of control while touring with him. He told Hill that he and Niko “worked [their] a**es off,” handling early lobby calls and even running soundchecks before their dad arrived.

“We loved it. We got to tour, we got to travel, we got to learn a lot, I watched my dad open and close the show every night. I loved it, man,” Brian Jr. said, per The Grio.