Kehlani is calling out the media for coverage surrounding her custody battle. Earlier this week, TMZ, Entertainment Weekly, and various outlets reported that the singer’s ex, Javaughn Young-White, filed for custody of their 5-year-old child, Adeya.
According to court documents obtained by Entertainment Weekly, Young-White wrote, “The main reason that I am filing this petition is that [Kehlani] has been involved in this cult for the past few years and it appears that this cult controls her actions and her behavior, including when it comes to the upbringing of our daughter.” The documents also alleged that Young-White was kept from seeing the child for “months.”
A day later, both Kehlani, who uses they/them pronouns, and Young-White are slamming these reports. In an Instagram post, Kehlani wrote that “what has been published in the media over the past 24 hours is incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, inappropriate, and simply untrue.
They continued in the statement, “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.”
They added that their “child and my commitment to motherhood have always been my sole driving forces in this life and will always remain so,” and that they plan on taking time for the well-being of themselves and their child.
Young-White released a statement of his own, specifically condemning TMZ for their coverage of the custody battle, including referring to the singer’s former group as a “sex cult.”
He wrote, “I never said that I think Santeria is a sex cult. Nor did I say that my daughter is in a sex cult. That’s factually incorrect and I think it’s disgusting that TMZ would exploit a child’s image like that.” He added, “the TMZ article sensationalized aspects of what was said while simultaneously breaching my confidentiality.”
He goes on to write that the filing of the case itself did not have his authorization “by error of counsel” and that he is “no longer represented” by said counsel, but plans for an amended filing “soon.”
He also added that he hopes for an apology and formal retraction.