Roommates, tension is heating up again between Brian McKnight and his family as he has reportedly filed a defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Julie McKnight and his son Brian McKnight Jr. The suit doesn’t stop there. PEOPLE reports that he’s also suing media figures, Tasha K and Marc Lamont Hill as well as, New York Post, claiming they used his late son Niko McKnight’s death to push a false narrative about him.
RELATED: Julie McKnight Speaks On Brian McKnight Allegedly Not Telling Niko He Loved Him, Files To Dismiss Defamation Lawsuit
Details On Brian McKnight’s Lawsuit Against Julie McKnight & Brian McKnight Jr.
According to TMZ, Brian McKnight accuses Julie McKnight, Brian McKnight Jr., Marc Lamont Hill, Tasha K, and the New York Post of teaming up to attack his reputation and profit off what he calls “malicious character assassination. He filed the lawsuit in Georgia on April 21, saying a “shockingly dishonest” and false narrative paints him as a father who abandoned his kids and refused to tell his late son Niko that he loved him. Brian adds that the claims hurt his reputation, career, and family, and says the ongoing attacks pushed him to take legal action. The suit reportedly seeks compensatory damages.
“Defendant Julie McKnight asserted that their son repeatedly told Plaintiff “I love you” during the call while Plaintiff refused to reciprocate, thereby portraying Plaintiff as emotionally cruel and indifferent toward his terminally ill son,” the filing reportedly states
This isn’t the first time Brian has taken legal action against Julie. In 2025, he filed a lawsuit accusing her of defamation, slander, and libel. She was also accused of claiming he caused emotional abuse and neglect, as well as their sons’ lack of success in the music industry.
Here’s What Julie Previously Said About Brian’s Relationship With Niko
As The Shade Room previously reported, Niko McKnight’s death in May 2025 was attributed to colon cancer. Months later, Julie released an exclusive statement with Page Six accusing Brian of not telling Niko he loved him.
“Those words should come easily, freely, and often. And in Niko’s case, lying on his sick bed, fighting through pain, fear, and uncertainty, he deserved that love spoken over him more than ever. There is nothing more heartbreaking than hearing your child say that all they want is to simply hear his father say “those three words.” She continued, “No child should have to long for something so basic, so pure, so necessary to the human heart. As his mother, hearing those words from him cut deeper than anything I could have imagined.”
Brian Jr. & Marc Lamont Hill Weigh In On Brian Sr.’s Estranged Relationship With Niko
Brian McKnight Jr. has also accused Brian Sr. of refusing to tell Niko he loved him before he passed. Marc Lamont Hill later dropped an exclusive interview with Brian Jr. and Julie in December 2025. In the exclusive chat, Brian Jr. recalled one of his darkest moments — Niko calling him in tears.
“All my brother wanted and needed […] asked for, was my father to tell him that he loves him […] and my father responds to him, ‘I can’t arbitrarily say that I love you.’ But this is the man that wanted to help him?” Brian Jr. recalled.
Marc also shared that hearing Julie and Brian Jr. describe Niko’s final moments hit especially hard during the interview. “I can’t imagine how impossibly difficult this entire ordeal was for the entire family.”
RELATED: Brian McKnight Jr. Reacts To His Dad Celebrating Allegedly Winning $8M Judgement Against Julie McKnight On His Late Brother’s Birthday
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