Brian McKnight is a father of eight kids, including two stepchildren with his current wife. Over the years, McKnight’s role as a father has sparked debate, particularly due to his strained relationship with his older children.
On May 29, 2025, McKnight’s son Niko passed away at 32 after a two-year cancer battle, bringing renewed public interest in the singer’s family
Here’s a closer look at each of McKnight’s children and their roles in his life.
Brian McKnight Jr.
Brian Jr. is McKnight’s oldest son from his marriage to Julie McKnight. He is also a father of three. As a child, he attended red carpet events with his father and later explored music himself.
In 2009, he and his brother Niko formed the group MCKNIGHT, producing original music while McKnight supported them as executive producer.
In recent years, Brian Jr. has been publicly estranged from his father.
In 2019, he claimed on social media that McKnight had distanced himself from his eldest children. McKnight responded at the time, saying they were “estranged” and that he had been present throughout their upbringing until recent issues caused a separation.
“Abandonment has nothing to do with any of this,” McKnight said at the time. “I’ve been there every step of the way,” he added, saying that he eventually cut his children off.
Niko McKnight (1992–2025)
Niko, McKnight’s second son with Julie, was a photographer, director, and musician. He directed the video for his father’s song “42” and co-created music as part of the MCKNIGHT duo.
In January 2024, Niko shared that he had been diagnosed with cancer. He passed away on May 29, 2025. The news was confirmed by McKnight’s brother Claude, who honored Niko’s creativity and personality in a TikTok video.
Though Niko and McKnight were publicly estranged, McKnight stated earlier in 2024 that he had tried to help with Niko’s treatment but was asked to stop by his ex-wife, Julie. Julie later disputed that claim. The situation led to a renewed public conversation about McKnight’s relationships with his adult children.
Briana McKnight
Briana is McKnight’s daughter with ex-girlfriend Patricia Driver. She has largely remained out of the public spotlight, but shared her perspective on the family situation in a 2019 Instagram post.
At the time, Briana expressed pain over her father’s absence, writing, “”My father hasn’t called to wish me a “happy birthday” in years and yet I sit by the phone every single year hoping that one day his heart will change. I’m so fortunate that I have two brothers who are father figures to me. Who celebrate me and love me every single day and that we make up the time that we lost.”
She continued, “The anger and the sadness that I hold in my heart every day over this is sickening. It hurts knowing that my brothers went through this at my age (and are still going through it) and that my little sister is going through this at her young age. 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,” she wrote on Instagram in August 2019.”
McKnight had previously claimed that he became estranged from Briana due to limitations placed on their contact by her mother.
Clyde Mcknight
McKnight is also reportedly the father of a son named Clyde from another previous relationship. Clyde has not been featured prominently in public discussions but shared a baby photo with his father in 2021, suggesting a past connection.
Kekoa Matteo McKnight
In 2021, McKnight and his wife Leilani announced they were expecting a child. Their son, Kekoa Matteo, passed away in infancy. In May 2022, McKnight wrote a message in remembrance of him on what would have been his due date.
“Today would have been your due date, you birth day was to be on Mother’s Day ,” he captioned the post. “We celebrate,, love and honor you today and every day our beautiful baby boy….until will see you again someday, We love you.”
Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Jr.
In January 2023, McKnight and Leilani welcomed a baby boy named Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Jr. The couple referred to him as their “rainbow baby” in light of their earlier loss. Later that year, McKnight legally changed his name to match his infant son’s, now going by Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr.
The name change drew criticism from some observers, as McKnight already has a son named Brian Jr. The artist did not publicly respond to those reactions.
Julia and Jack McPhee (Stepchildren)
McKnight is also stepfather to Leilani’s two children from a previous relationship: Julia and Jack McPhee.
Julia earned a degree in Biological Sciences from UC Santa Barbara and now lives in Atlanta.
Jack has been featured in McKnight’s social media posts, particularly in 2021 when the singer gifted him a watch to celebrate his high school graduation.
