Kehlani has broken her silence after being accused of exposing her daughter to a dangerous religious cult led by an alleged sex predator.
The allegations were reportedly made in a custody filing by her ex-boyfriend Javaughn Young-White earlier this week, but both parties have now disputed the portrayal of their parental disagreement.
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In a statement shared on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday (August 6), Kehlani wrote: “What has been published in the media over the past 24 hours is incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, inappropriate, and simply untrue. I wanted to take the time to ensure that I responded to these accusations from a calm and considered space rather than a reactive one.
“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.”
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The singer continued: “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 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. 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.”
Young-White also addressed the drama on Tuesday, claiming that his custody filing was submitted by error and that the claims within it were misrepresented by TMZ, who broke the story.
He began by defending Kehlani’s belief in Santeria, the Afro-Caribbean religion that combines elements from Yoruba, Roman Catholicism and Spiritism.
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“I never said that I think Santeria is a sex cult. Nor did I say that my daughter is in a sex cult,” he wrote on Instagram. “That’s factually incorrect and I think it’s disgusting that TMZ would exploit a child’s image like that […] Personally, I would love for TMZ to justify to me, the father, how they came up with this narrative.
“The TMZ article sensationalized 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.”
He added: “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 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.”
Young-White also refuted TMZ‘s claim that he and Kehlani have been ordered to attend court mediation.
The publication initially reported that Young-White was seeking full custody of their five-year-old daughter Adeya Nomi amid concerns that “Kehlani’s been mixed up with a cult for the past few years.”
The article stated: “Javaughn’s alleging the cult leader has a slew of sexual assault accusations … and fears their daughter could be at risk of abuse without court intervention.
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“In fact, he’s claiming this cult leader’s got Kehlani under their thumb to such an extent he’s convinced her he’s a threat to little Adeya … which is why she’s kept him from seeing his daughter.”
Kehlani and Young-White split up in 2020, roughly a year after their daughter was born.
