Boyz II Men's Wanya Morris Blasted Over Strained Relationships With His Children: 'It's Giving Brian McKnight'
Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris is facing backlash as fans compare his reported strained relationships with his children from his first marriage to the controversies surrounding Brian McKnight, who disowned his biological children.
Morris, 51, has four sons with his ex-wife, Traci Nash: 19-year-old Wanya II, 17-year-old Wanya III, 16-year-old Wanya IV, and 12-year-old Wanya V. The boys, known collectively as the singing group WanMor, have reportedly become increasingly distant from their father over the years.
In addition to their sons, Wanya and Traci also have two daughters: the eldest, Anyá Keoni, and the youngest, Shayla.
Wanya and Traci married in May 2002 but separated in 2018, leading to their eventual divorce in 2019. That same year, Wanya remarried, tying the knot with Amber Reyes in a lavish ceremony in Aruba.
Since then, Morris has publicly embraced his new life with Amber and their 1-year-old daughter, Anela, frequently sharing pictures of his new family on social media. This behavior has led many fans to question his commitment to his older children, with some accusing him of neglecting them in favor of his new family.
In 2023, fans began to notice Morris' absence from his sons' public appearances, as well as the lack of recent photos of his older children on his Instagram.
The last significant mentions of his elder children were in 2018, aside from posts in 2023 congratulating Wanya II and Anyá on their respective graduations.
Morris addressed the situation publicly, expressing deep pain over the strained relationships with his children, admitting that "I can't have a relationship with them."
The R&B group member's statement fueled comparisons to Brian McKnight. However, unlike McKnight, 55, who has disowned his biological children, Morris has continued to affirm his love for his kids.
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In January, Morris proudly shared a black-and-white promotional picture of WanMor celebrating their success as the first artists signed to Mary J. Blige's Beautiful Life Productions/300 Entertainment. Fans, however, quickly noticed that he did not tag his sons in the post, leading to further speculation about their relationship. When questioned about this, Morris revealed, "I can't. I'm blocked," adding, "This is my only way to show how proud I am."
The ongoing drama has left fans divided, with some criticizing Morris for allegedly abandoning his first family, while others argue that the comparisons to McKnight are unfair.
In April, McKnight answered a follower's social media question about how his biological daughter Briana must feel about being publicly disowned by her father and watching him praise his step-daughter instead.
McKnight did not acknowledge his biological daughter, but referred to Julia, his stepdaughter, as his "one and only daughter."
"She feels great. See, Julia understands the scripture Exodus 20:12, where it says, and I quote, 'Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days be long upon the land..' ", he said in an Instagram video. "See, she honors us, and in turn, we honor her because she knows how proud of her we are."
