Kehlani and Javaughn Young-White/Photo credit: Kehlani and Young-White's respective Instagram accounts
Singer Kehlani is responding to recent alleged sex cult rumors, drug use, and child custody battles in a statement she recently released on Instagram.
Kehlani and the father of their child, Javaughn Young-White, made headlines earlier this week after Young-White filed a petition to gain full custody of their 5-year-old daughter Adeya. Kehlani took to her Instagram Stories to deny his serious accusations.
“What has been published in the media over the past 24 hours is incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, inappropriate, and simply untrue,” the After Hours crooner wrote. “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 added: “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 ended her statement with, “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. 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.”
After Kehlani’s remarks, Young-White released his own statement accusing TMZ of misrepresenting his words.
“The TMZ article sensationalized aspects of what was said while simultaneously breaching my confidentiality,” Young-White wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Young-White claimed he learned that an alleged cult leader had alleged “numerous accusations of committing sexual assault against women and girls” in the court filings obtained by Page Six.
“When I discovered this on her birthday in 2023, I was physically restrained and threatened by members of the ‘cult’ when I attempted to retrieve our daughter,” Young-White accused in her legal document.
According to The Mirror, “Also, Kehlani’s former significant other alleges that she refused to let him have Adeya’s social security number, mentioning in the court filing that he was unsure if the youngster even had one given ‘[Kehlani’s] actions and behavior.’ Javaugn made other accusations, such as that the Grammy-nominated performer has been “involved in this cult for the past few years.”
The unfolding drama comes just days after fans expressed their outrage with Kehlani after a photo posted on social media shows them posing with Chris Brown, who described them as his “twin.” Fans on X brought up the domestic violence case against Brown during his relationship with Rihanna in 2009. One fan saying, “…in a picture with Chris Brown…I literally have no words rn.” Another fan, “While I respect what Kehlani has done for the Palestinian cause, posing for a selfie with Chris Brown, an abuser, is not it.”
Kehlani gained fame as a member of the teen group PopLyfe in 2011, later seeing success with the debut of Cloud 19, an album that Complex would list as one of “50 Best Albums of 2014.” They were nominated twice for a Grammy in 2016 and 2018.