The R&B legend is fighting back. Brian McKnight has filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Julie McKnight, their son Brian McKnight Jr., podcaster Marc Lamont Hill, YouTuber Tasha K, and the New York Post. The legal action stems from painful accusations surrounding his late son Niko, who passed away at 32 from colon cancer in May 2025.
Before his death, Niko endured a two-year cancer battle. During that time, his mother Julie and brother Brian Jr. alleged that McKnight had abandoned his four eldest children, only embracing his new family with wife Leilani Mendoza. The singer has repeatedly denied this. In December 2025, the family told Hill that Niko’s dying wish was to hear his father say “I love you.” They claimed McKnight responded, “I can’t arbitrarily say that.”
McKnight calls this a “shockingly dishonest” and “sensational but false narrative.” His new defamation lawsuit accuses all parties of a “malicious character assassination.” He says he reached out to help Niko before he passed, but his ex-wife allegedly blocked contact.
Tasha K faces separate claims in the filing. McKnight alleges she falsely accused him of cheating and sleeping with a minor. The New York Post is named for platforming and republishing the family’s claims.
This is not McKnight’s first legal rodeo. In October 2025, he won an $8.8 million judgment after Julie failed to appear in court for an initial defamation case. Brian Jr. publicly slammed his father following that victory. Now, McKnight is seeking unspecified damages in this expanded suit, arguing that the continued narrative has destroyed his reputation. The family war shows no signs of ending.
