How old is Gladys Knight's husband? Age difference explored amid allegations of abuse by music legend's son
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Gladys Knight performs during Questlove's "Summer Of Soul" screening & live concert. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)Gladys Knight's son Shanga Ali Hankerson filed a complaint of elder abuse against the singer's husband William McDowell on July 23, 2025. In an exclusive interview with The Shade Room, Hankerson shared the reason behind his decision.
Gladys Knight's husband, William McDowell, is 14 years younger than her. They have been married for nearly 25 years. Although the couple has no children, Knight has three kids from her previous marriages: James "Jimmy" Gaston Newman III, Kenya Maria Newman, and Shanga Ali Hankerson.
Hankerson stated that his mother showed signs of cognitive decline, as he saw her forgetting lyrics and "zoning out" mid-performance. He shared that she reportedly gets "triggered" when she can't remember where she is, or where her husband is. William allegedly "manipulated" her to go on tour, despite her condition.
Shanga Ali Hankerson also noted that McDowell supposedly tried to create a distance between him and Gladys Knight by making sure the two never spoke separately.
"I noticed that William would always chime in, and make sure that I didn't get to speak with her by myself or by herself," he stated.
Hankerson shared an incident from New Year's when he visited his mother for two days, during which William allegedly told him to live in an Airbnb instead of his room.
"I get there to the house like, you know, I've done many times over the years. And William's like, 'Well, you know, you can stay wherever you want, but you know it might be better if you stay in this Airbnb I bought.' I'm like, 'What?'" he stated.
More details on Shanga Ali Hankerson's accusations against Gladys Knight's husband
In the interview with the media outlet, Shanga claimed that he and his family were kept in the dark regarding Knight's health and doctors' visits.
William McDowell only informed him once that his mother was diagnosed with sundown syndrome, a condition where people get agitated and confused during late afternoon and early evening.
Gladys Knight's son then shared how his sister Kenya once called him and told him that their mother got lost in Baltimore at night. She was there to perform, and left her hotel at night in confusion, and walked into another hotel.
When the hotel staff recognized her and asked her questions, she couldn't answer.
They then took Gladys Knight's phone and called Kenya, who called the singer's manager, Larry. Larry then came to take her back to her hotel.
Hankerson claimed that after the incident, he was unable to contact his mother and had to involve the Department of Human Services.
He provided The Shade Room with screenshots of the texts William McDowell sent. Gladys Knight's husband told him that he "ruined" her week by sending cops to their home.
He told Hankerson that such things would "endanger" her wellbeing, and he is supportive of whatever her children want to do.
"I want to move forward what I'm saying to you is that sending the cops and the Social service people over here will endanger what she's trying to maintain anything other than that is irrelevant to me just love her take care of her and whatever you guys wanna do just let me know I'm happy to support it," William wrote.
Meanwhile, Gladys Knight talked about her marriage to McDowell in an interview with Closer Weekly in November 2022. The 81-year-old singer shared that her faith in religion helped her navigate her marriage.
"You have to always know that the Lord is going to make a way. We put him first. If you've got a problem and don't know how to do something, you have to look up. That's how we get through," Knight said.
Neither Gladys Knight nor her husband has publicly addressed Hankerson's accusations. Stay tuned for more updates.
TOPICS: Gladys Knight, William McDowell