Kehlani denies allegation she is member of a 'cult' amid custody battle with ex

Kehlani is addressing claims made by her ex Javaughn Young-White after he filed for custody of their 5-year-old daughter.

Young-White, who welcomed daughter Adeya with the R&B star in 2019, filed his custody petition in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 24, according to court documents obtained Monday by USA TODAY.

Young-White, who is also a musician, is demanding full custody of Adeya and that Kehlani undergo a psychological exam, citing the singer's mental health struggles and alleged membership in a "cult."

"I am not here to disparage (Kehlani)," Young-White said in the filing. "However, the environment that she has created for herself is not the type of environment that a child should be living and therefore, I bring myself to the mercy and wisdom of the court to save my daughter before it is too late."

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Kehlani for comment.

Kehlani is also facing backlash on social media after being spotted with controversial singer Chris Brown.

Kehlani responds to ex's 'cult' allegations

In a lengthy statement posted to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Kehlani said she "strongly den(ies) any claims that I have put my child in harm's way or left my child alone with anyone deemed dangerous or unsafe."

"I have always taken great care to ensure that my child remains protected and safe at all times," Kehlani continued. "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."

Regarding Young-White's claim of her membership in a cult, Kehlani said she does "not align with any of the allegations made against my former religious community that have been stated in the media."

"This is a legal, private, familial matter that will be handled accordingly," Kehlani concluded. "I will now be taking space for my own personal well-being and, most importantly, for the well-being of my child."

Kehlani also shared an Instagram post from Young-White, in which her ex refuted TMZ's characterization of his custody complaint.

Kehlani is member of a 'cult' that 'controls her actions,' ex alleges

In his complaint against ex and co-parent Kehlani, Young-White claimed "everyone else has (a) bigger say-so when it comes to (the) upbringing of our daughter than I do."

Young-White alleged Kehlani has been a member of a cult in recent years and that the group "controls her actions and her behavior, including when it comes to the upbringing of our daughter."

The "Crash" singer's ex said he was prohibited from seeing Adeya for months because the cult's alleged leader, Neto, informed Kehlani he had a vision that Young-White "was a danger to our daughter and would kill her."

Young-White also claimed their daughter is left under the care of the cult's members when Kehlani is traveling on tour. He accused Neto of performing "religious ceremonies" on Adeya and another cult member, nicknamed Messiah, of bathing with the 5-year-old "while being under the influence of psychedelic drugs."

"I have been trying to express my fear, anger and concern to (Kehlani) about our daughter's living environment when she is on tour and when she is with her cult, who essentially live in her home," Young-White said. "However, instead of addressing my feelings, she resorts to disparaging me online to her millions of social media followers."

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Regarding her spiritual life, Kehlani has previously opened up about following the Regla de Ocha religion, also known as Santería.

"It’s a really gorgeous religion that I didn’t seek out, but it sought me," Kehlani told Bust in an August 2022 interview. "I was told upon arrival that I was headed towards a really young death in a couple of different ways — whether it be that I called it upon myself, or as a result of the environment I was in, or just things that have been chasing me my whole life. My life was saved by some really incredible elders."

Kehlani's ex seeks full custody of daughter, paternity on birth certificate

Young-White requested full custody of Adeya in his complaint due to the singer's "busy schedule, her relationship with the cult that she is involved in and the fact that she told me that she has been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder."

The guitarist also demanded a psychological evaluation of Kehlani to verify the status of her mental health.

"Without the court’s intervention, our daughter will continue to be exposed to the possibility of being sexually abused, particularly by the leader of (Kehlani’s) cult and other cult members," Young-White said, referring to Neto’s alleged history of sexual abuse. "Furthermore, without the court’s intervention, our daughter will continue to be in the custody of drug-abusing cult members instead of being with me, her father."

In addition to parental custody, Young-White requested the court to establish paternity and his surname to be added to Adeya's name. Young-White claimed his name was left off Adeya's birth certificate due to the child's home birth.

In terms of compensation, Young-White petitioned the court to require Kehlani to pay him child support.

Kehlani draws backlash for reportedly hanging out with Chris Brown

Kehlani is facing criticism online after the Grammy-nominated singer was pictured with Chris Brown, who remains a controversial figure due to his legal troubles.

Brown shared a selfie of himself and Kehlani on his Instagram Stories Sunday, according to screenshots from Page Six and Vibe magazine. Brown captioned the photo, "Twin," with a red heart emoji.

"Kehlani being buddy buddy with Chris Brown after he made fun of her suicide attempt was not on my 2024 bingo card," @m0ri4h2 wrote on X.

Brown criticized Kehlani on social media in 2016 after the singer was reportedly hospitalized for a suicide attempt.

"Me after defending Kehlani to my last breath only for them to be posted up with Chris Brown a few days later," another X user wrote.

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"Kehlani went out of their way to remove Tory Lanez off a song after the incident with Megan, but now they all cozied up to Cocaine Fisticuffs Brown?" @itslexdawriter wrote on X.

"Kehlani hanging out with Chris Brown genuinely feels like the biggest (expletive) slap to the face," X user @theesooya wrote.

Contributing: Jayme Deerwester and Maria Puente, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kehlani denies claim that she's part of a 'cult' amid custody battle