Kehlani. David Livingston/Getty Images
UPDATE: 8/6, 8:55 p.m. ET — Kehlani released a statement in response to the “cult” allegations made by ex Javaughn Young-White after he filed for full custody of their daughter, Adeya Nomi.
The singer took to their social media on Tuesday to call the claims “incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, inappropriate and simply untrue.”
“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,” their statement read via their Instagram Story. “I also do not align with any of the allegations made against my former religious community.”
They 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 this life and will always remain so. This is who I am and what I have always focused on.”
Kehlani noted that the dispute with Young-White is a “legal, private, familial matter” and that they would be taking “space for my own personal well-being” and the “well-being of my child.”
“Thank you for your support and for respecting my privacy,” they concluded. “I will not be commenting further and will let the legal due process take place.”
Original story below:
Kehlani’s ex Javaughn Young-White is demanding full custody of their 5-year-old daughter, Adeya Nomi.
According to documents obtained by People on Monday, August 5, Young-White, 27, filed for full legal custody of Adeya — as well as child support — in a Los Angeles court on July 24, alleging his ex is involved in a cult.
“Adeya was born through a home birth orchestrated by what I would describe as a cult that she belongs in,” Young-White claims in the filing, per the outlet, adding that because “Adeya was born in a home and not in a conventional setting like a hospital” his name does not appear on her birth certificate.
In the documents, Young-White alleged that the “cult” Kehlani is involved with has complete control over both the singer’s life and “when it comes to the upbringing” of their daughter.
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Per court documents obtained by Us Weekly, both Kehlani and Young-White must participate in court-ordered mediation to discuss their custody agreement.
Young-White claimed that a cult leader, not named in the documents, with “numerous accusations of committing sexual assault” against women and girls convinced Kehlani he was a threat to their daughter, causing them to go no-contact for months.
Javaughn Young-White. Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET
Young-White also filed a petition to “determine [his] parental relationship” with Adeya, adding that he has requested since she was born that his name be included on her birth certificate. Additionally, he alleges that Kehlani won’t give him access to Adeya’s social security number, leading him to doubt that she even has one.
Us has reached out to Kehlani and Young-White’s representatives for comment.
The court documents, per Billboard, also claim that when Young-White attempted to take his daughter in the past, he was “physically restrained and threatened” by who he identified as cult members.
“While [Kehlani] is on tour, and our daughter is in the care of her fellow cult members, Adeya sleeps in the bed with and is given baths by random adult members of the cult and she is often in the bedroom alone with some of these people,” the court documents state.
Young-White concluded his filing with additional requests that Kehlani be psychologically evaluated, and is requesting full custody of Adeya due to the “Honey” artist’s “busy schedule” and “relationship with the cult that [they are] involved in.”
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Young-White and Kehlani, who uses they/them pronouns, dated from 2018 to 2019. Kehlani delivered Adeya in a homebirth in March 2019. “This weekend our angel arrived earthside perfectly healthy & full of wonder,” they wrote via X at the time. “Unmedicated homebirth was indescribable. taking time to be family and heal. thank you everyone who sent us love and support on her journey earthside!”
Kehlani also noted in the post that they were “honored” to be joined by Young-White, who they described as “an amazing partner whom [I] trust with my body and life.” Kehlani added that Young-White was “the only man on earth [they] trust.”
