Kehlani criticised media coverage of her ex-partner Javan Young-White's request for custody of their five-year-old daughter, Aadiya, which alleged the singer was in a “cult”.
In a statement posted to Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Kehlani, who uses the first-person pronoun, called the media's portrayal of Young-White's allegations in the dossier “extremely hurtful, inaccurate, inappropriate and completely untrue.”
In a separate statement also released Tuesday, Young-White said TMZ published a “factually incorrect” version of his custody request, and that he did not need to “paint an unfair picture of my co-parenting for a court of law to respect my justified feelings.”
Original court documents, reviewed by the people And storyThe lawsuit included allegations attributed to Young-White that Kehlani was part of a cult whose leader was “accused of numerous sexual assaults” and that they convinced the R&B singer not to let him see their child. The filing also included allegations that Young-White discovered the group's leader was performing “religious rituals” on the child, and that Young-White was “physically restrained and threatened by cult members” when he tried to pick up his daughter.
“I vehemently deny any allegations that I placed my child in danger, or left him alone with anyone I deemed dangerous or unsafe,” Kehlani wrote in her statement. “I also do not agree with any of the allegations against my former religious community that have been made in the media.” Kehlani has previously spoken openly about her practice of Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and elements of Catholicism. “My child and my commitment to motherhood have always been my sole driving force in this life and will always be,” she added.
On Tuesday, Young-White said he never said he believed Santeria was a sex cult, and accused the TMZ article of “sensationalizing aspects of what was said while simultaneously violating my confidentiality.” He added that the filing was “incomplete” and he did not have “authorization due to an error by counsel.” Young-White said he was no longer represented by “said counsel” and that “there will be an amended filing soon that will set out the full extent of my concerns.”
Young-White also called on TMZ to issue an “official retraction and apology.”
Kehlani concluded her statement by saying she would take “space” for her and Adia's safety and would deal with the matter privately. “Thank you for your support and respect for our privacy. I will not be making any further comment and will let due process take place,” she wrote.
