Who is Julie McKnight? Brian McKnight recalls contentious marriage with ex-wife

Brian McKnight recently opened up about his marriage to his ex-wife, Julie. The couple had been married for 13 years and shared two sons, Brian Jr. and Niko. According to Famous People, the couple, who married in 1990, were college sweethearts.

Brian confirmed this is the November 20, 2025, interview with Anton Daniels, explaining Julie was a freshman while he was a sophomore in college when they began dating. He also shared that he and Julie's family "are two prominent families in the black Adventist church."

He also shared that he and Julie had separated four times before ultimately getting divorced, explaining they stayed together for 13 years "for the kids." The 56-year-old also admitted that he "was never in love" with Julie.

Julie, herself a talented singer, was born into a musical household. Her mother, Saundra Brooks, performed at the Apollo Theatre in New York City, and her grandfather, Norris Turney, was a member of Duke Ellington's Orchestra.

Growing up in Los Angeles in a welcoming household, Julie got the opportunity to meet and form lasting relationships with music stars like Nancy Wilson, Little Richard, Nina Simone and Clifton Davis, according to CA International Artists.

She emerged as a successful artist in the 1990s and went on to collaborate with Earth, Wind & Fire, The Emotions, and Brian McKnight.

Her work gained significant recognition, including the 2001 MTV2 DanceStar Music Awards Song of the Year, and nominations for Best Live PA and Best Vocalist in 2005.

"The next year she gets pregnant": Brian McKnight on Julie McKnight's pregnancy at the age of 18

Furthermore, in the aforementioned podcast, Brian McKnight, who is currently married to Leilani Malia Mendoza, shared that Julie was pregnant with his baby the next year they started dating, and told him she planned to have an abortion. Brian said he supported her decision at the time because they were young.

"She tells me she's pregnant and that she's going to get an abortion, right? I'm like, 'Yeah, we should probably do that. I mean, you're 18. I'm 20.' I'm just about to start this whole thing, you know? Maybe this is the route we need to go. And she agrees. And we have this whole thing. She goes by herself."

However, as he signed his record deal, Julie told him that she had not gone through with the abortion. Brian revealed that he had not expected this, claiming that Julie had told him she had an abortion in high school, which made him believe she would follow through with the decision. The couple eventually married and moved to California.

Speaking about what it was like navigating life as a 20-year-old father, Brian recalled:

"Well, interestingly enough, I was just writing then. So, I was flying back and forth to Huntsville, and we had sort of an agreement. You know, you handle this part. I'm not changing diapers. I'm 20 years old. This was not what I expected to do. You made this decision. You're going to handle that, and I'm going to handle this. "

The full conversation between Brian McKnight and Anton Daniels is available on Daniels' official YouTube channel.