Kehlani and the father of her child have each issued their own statements following a custody battle and allegations of a sex cult.
Rumours about the two arose when Javaughn Young-White – an internet personality, ex-partner of the Grammy-nominated R&B singer and brother to actor Jaboukie Young-White – reportedly filed for full custody of their five-year-old daughter, Adeya. They dated between 2018 and 2019.
According to alleged court documents seen by outlets including Page Six, TMZ and People, Young-White was quoted as claiming that the ‘Distraction’ singer “has been involved in this cult for the past few years” and that it “controls [Kehlani’s] actions and [their] behaviour, including when it comes to the upbringing of our daughter.
“For example, the cult leader, who goes by the name of Neto, convinced [Kehlani] that he had a vision that I was a danger to our daughter and would kill her, and therefore banned [Kehlani] from allowing me to see Adeya.”
People went on to write that Young-White also alleged that his name is not listed as the father on their daughter’s birth certificate because Kehlani – full name Kehlani Ashley Parrish – gave birth “through a home birth orchestrated by what I would describe as a cult”.
“For the past five years, I have requested a copy of Adeya’s birth certificate and for my name to be added to her birth certificate to no avail,” the documents were reported as stating.
Now, in a new statement shared by Kehlani (via Pop Crave), the singer has spoken out against the media claims, and said that the articles shared over recent days are “incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, inappropriate, and simply untrue”.
“I strongly deny any claims that I have put my child in harm’s way, or left my child alone with anyone deemed dangerous or unsafe. I also do not align with any of the allegations made against my former religious community that have been stated in the media,” she wrote.
“I have always taken great care to ensure that my child remains protected and safe at all times. My child and my commitment to motherhood have always been my sole driving forces in this life and will always remain so. This is who I am and what I have always been focused on.
“This is a legal, private, familial matter that will be handled accordingly, and I will now be taking space for my own personal well-being and, most importantly, for the well-being of my child. I will not be commenting further and will let the legal due process take place.”
Kehlani has released a statement regarding the allegations made by the father of her child:
“I strongly deny any claims that I put my child in harm’s way, or left my child alone with anyone deemed dangerous or unsafe.” pic.twitter.com/VTxvIb1HzD
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 7, 2024
Similarly, Young-White has also shared a statement, clarifying that he “never said that I think Santeria is a sex cult. Nor did I say that my daughter is in a sex cult”.
Sharing a statement on Instagram, he took aim at the TMZ article in particular, writing: “That’s factually incorrect and I think it’s disgusting that TMZ would exploit a child’s image like that. Further, I have not been made aware of any court-ordered mediation as of writing this per the account of TMZ.
“The TMZ article sensationalised aspects of what was said while simultaneously breaching my confidentiality. Further, the filing of my case was incomplete and did not have my authorization by error of counsel. I am no longer represented by the aforementioned counsel. There will be an amended filing soon which will illustrate the full range of my concern.
“I do not need to paint an unfair image of my co-parent for my justifiable feelings to be respected by the court of law.
“This unfortunate trauma only increases the obstacles in ensuring my child’s wellbeing. For now, I am hoping to clear the discrepancies made by TMZ. I hope to see a formal retraction and apology.”
This is a developing story.
The post Kehlani and father of their child issue statements on “hurtful, inaccurate and inappropriate” sex cult allegations amid custody battle appeared first on NME.
