(Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images) (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET)
Kehlani has broken their silence on the child custody petition their daughter’s father, Javaughn Young-White, filed against them. The singer and Javaughn share a five-year-old daughter named Adeya Nomi.
For context, TMZ first reported the story on August 5. The outlet cited court documents that reportedly claimed the mother of one has been “mixed up with a cult for the past few years.” Additionally, the outlet’s report stated that Young-White claimed Kehlani has been preventing him from seeing Adeya. Ultimately, he’s reportedly seeking full custody, per TMZ.
Editor’s Note: Kehlani’s preferred pronouns include they/theirs/them and all are used throughout this article to reference them.
As mentioned, Kehlani spoke out about the custody petition on their Instagram Story on the evening of August 6. They began by saying that the media reports about the petition have been “incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, inappropriate, and simply untrue.”
The singer explained that they delayed their response because they wanted to respond to the accusations “from a calm and considered space rather than a reactive one.” Then, they proceeded to deny any claims that they may be putting their child at risk with any religious affiliations.
“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,” Kehlani’s written statement read.
The ‘Nights Like This’ artist also emphasized that their commitment to their daughter and mother comes before all and always has.
“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,” Kehlani said regarding petition allegations claiming otherwise.
Lastly, the Oakland-raised superstar clarified that the custody petition is a “legal, private, familial matter that will be handled accordingly.” Kehlani also revealed that they will be “taking space” for their and Adeya Nomi’s “well-being.”
“Thank you for your support and for respecting our privacy. I will not be commenting further and will let the legal due process take place.”
On Tuesday evening, about an hour after his co-parent’s statement, Javaughn Young-White also broke his silence about his custody petition.
In a written statement, he denied any reports claiming that he labeled Kehlani’s alleged spiritual practice of Santeria a “sex cult.” Additionally, he claimed to have no knowledge of court-ordered mediation to discuss custody, visitation, and a parenting plan, as reported by TMZ.
Furthermore, Young-White shared that his custody case filing was “incomplete and did not have [his] authorization by error of counsel.” Young-White added that the legal counsel who initially filed the petition no longer represents him.
“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 represented by the court of law,” Javaughn Young-White’s statement said.
Note that Kehlani shared their co-parent’s statement on their Instagram Story. However, it is unclear whether they and he have privately spoken about the matter.
This is a developing update.
