Kehlani’s Ex Javaughn Young-White Regrets Claims Made in Custody Case

Javaughn Young-White recently expressed regret over his choice of words in a custody lawsuit against Kehlani, asserting that his former attorney filed the complaint without his approval.

The complaint contained allegations that Kehlani was involved in a cult. Young-White’s new statement follows his and Kehlani’s criticism of TMZ’s coverage of their custody battle over their daughter, Adeya.

“These documents contained general recollections from my initial consultation with my aforementioned rep,” he stated. “They were filed with choice language I didn’t okay. I regret they were included.”

The initial filing described Kehlani’s association with Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion rooted in Yoruba and Catholic beliefs, as being part of a cult. TMZ referred to it as a sex cult. The filing also claimed that a former priest accused of sexual abuse had been caring for their daughter.

In his Friday statement, Young-White emphasized that the information about the priest had been spread by “parties attempting to use allegations and vocabulary to escalate their own disputes within the church,” adding that his daughter was no longer affiliated with the church at the time of the allegations.

“I was still deeply distressed about the care of my child. From my perspective, I was being told the consequences of alarming decision-making that could have ended quite differently,” he wrote.

A representative for Kehlani did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment on Young-White’s new statement.

The initial filing alleged that Kehlani had orchestrated a home birth as part of a cult and cited this as a reason why Young-White is not listed on Adeya’s birth certificate. It also claimed that the cult controlled Kehlani’s actions and behaviors, including the upbringing of their daughter.

“As a father, I could never have anticipated that such serious allegations would be so careless. I still believe my alarm was proportionate to the information I received from trusted parties,” Young-White wrote. “However, I deeply regret and apologize for any role I played in perpetuating these claims.”

Kehlani broke her silence this week, asserting that she has always taken great care to ensure her child’s safety and strongly denying that she had left Adeya alone with anyone deemed dangerous or unsafe.

“My child and my commitment to motherhood have always been my sole driving forces in this life and will always remain so,” she said at the time. She concluded her statement by announcing that she would be “taking space” for her and Adeya’s well-being and would handle the matter privately.