Entertainment
Brian McKnight did not reach out before estranged son Niko’s death: source

Brian McKnight made no effort to reach out to his estranged son Cole “Niko” McKnight before the 32-year-old died from cancer last week.
A source close to the situation exclusively tells Page Six that the “Back at One” singer “has not reached out to the family.”
“He did not contact or see Niko,” the insider tells us.
The source says Niko “was surrounded by an abundance of love and support from those who truly mattered,” including his mother, Julie McKnight, his older brother, Brian McKnight Jr., his wife, Carla, and other extended family members.
“He was not alone, and he was deeply cherished every step of the way,” the source tells us.
Page Six has reached out to Brian’s team for comment but did not immediately hear back.
On Friday, Julie, 53, took to Instagram to confirm the news that her second child, Niko, had passed away the day before after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 32.
“Nikolas was a cherished husband, son, brother, grandson, uncle, and nephew whose warmth, laughter, and love touched the lives of all who knew him,” she captioned a photo of herself with Niko and Brian Jr.
“Nikolas was a self taught artist of music and photography. His passing is an immeasurable loss to his family and all those who held him dear,” the “Home” singer added before asking for privacy during the difficult time.
Brian — who shares sons Brian Jr. and Niko with Julie; daughter Briana with ex Patricia Driver; and son Clyde with an unidentified woman — has had an estranged relationship with his eldest four children for the last few years.
In 2019, the “One Last Cry” crooner, 55, called his kids “entitled.”
In October 2023, Brian announced on Instagram that he had legally changed his name to become a senior to his then-newborn son, Brian Kainoa Makoa Jr., whom he shares with wife Leilani Mendoza — even though he had already been a senior to his eldest son, Brian Jr.
The following year, the 17-time Grammy nominee said he didn’t claim his estranged biological kids because they were the “product of sin.”
“In order to live a life that you love, you have to get rid of the evil and the negativity — even if that evil and negativity is related [to you],” he said during a Q&A session on Instagram at the time.
When a fan wrote that the musician disowning his children went “against God,” he replied: “1. God wasn’t talking about children that are the product of sin which these are 2. I didn’t raise them their mothers did 3. Know the whole story before quoting the Bible 4. Take your inaccurate negativity off my page and try being happy.”
Niko then slammed Brian for his remarks on social media.
“I’m evil. That’s wild: The guy who used to make me clean his used condoms out his bathroom at 15 before Lisa got home is calling me evil Fashoooooo,” he wrote in the Shade Room’s comments section in April 2024.
In a separate comment, the late photographer added, “The guy who forged [signatures] on our names is evil fashoooooooo.”
Brian also alleged that he and his wife were helping Niko with his medical needs when they found out he had cancer, but stopped once Julie allegedly intervened.
“We miraculously found a treatment facility near our home that put him at the top of the list and then we put down a deposit to secure that place,” the R&B singer claimed in an Instagram video last April.
While Brian and Mendoza were arranging for Niko and his wife to fly to their home, the “Anytime” singer claimed Julie made a “hostile” phone call to him, demanding he stop helping their son.
She denied the claims, telling Page Six: “This is, once again, a response to bait myself & my family into his false narrative. He is a liar.”
Brian and Mendoza tied the knot in December 2017.
He has become a father figure to her two children from a previous relationship, Julie and Jack. The “Cheaper to Keep Her” actor now refers to his stepchildren and his infant son as his only kids.
Entertainment
Country star Ella Langley says ‘very scary’ Alabama church haunted house led to her getting ‘saved again’

Ella Langley is opening up about what it was like for her growing up in a small town as a Southern Baptist.
During an interview on the “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” podcast, the 26-year-old country music star spoke about her upbringing in a small town in Alabama, recalling getting scared in the church’s “judgment houses.”
“It’s, like, they do it around Halloween,” she said. “It’s like a haunted house for Christians, I guess. Very scary. I remember our youth group took us. You get in there, and it’s like this car crash scene, and it’s pretty much like convincing you… that you could die the second you walk out of here, so you better settle up. You better get saved.”
She explained that the haunted houses “affected me so bad” that when they asked her youth group if anyone wanted to talk, she raised her hand and “got saved again.”
The “Excuse the Mess” singer recalled her dad telling her, “Well, you are kind of a dumba–, cuz that’s the whole point of being saved.”
Langley explained that she was homeschooled for many years, and her life consisted of going to church, noting, “Pretty much all we did was go to church.”
She noted it was a “really, really small church. It started in a barn. The house that I also grew up in, my dad grew up in, and there was an old barn across the street, and it started in hay bales on that barn, and then they moved it to a church, and I mean every Sunday and Wednesday until I was 18 years old.”
She compared growing up in a small town to her experience with fame, explaining, “You’ve known all these people your whole life,” and growing up in that environment, “I would hear s— about me all the time,” adding, “you just get used to that.”
Langley began her career on social media, gaining a following by posting covers on TikTok and Instagram, leading her to release her EP “Excuse the Mess” in 2023.
The EP helped solidify her fan base and included many of her early hits, including “If You Have To” and “Country Boy’s Dream Girl.” She achieved mainstream success when she collaborated with Riley Green on her hit song “You Look Like You Love Me,” which went viral on TikTok, got millions of streams on Spotify and Apple Music, and expanded her audience.
Her debut studio album, “Hungover,” was released in August 2024, and in April 2025, Langley was presented with the ACM New Female Artist of the Year award by country icon Miranda Lambert, who has become a good friend to the budding star.
“I was singing constantly as a kid. Like I said, I’ve known my whole life what I wanted to do, so I was always doing it,” she told Grammy.com in August 2024, adding she became a stronger songwriter during COVID, saying, “all I did was write, write, write.”
The “Choosin’ Texas” singer told the outlet that storytelling is in her blood, noting, her “dad’s an incredible storyteller” and so was her grandpa. “Storytelling is what my family did,” she said.
When speaking with Theo Von on the podcast, she credited her grandparents on her father’s side for nurturing her love of music, saying her “grandpa could play anything by ear.”
“I was, like, the first girl in the family, and I started to match pitch with [my grandma] as a baby, and so she figured out I could sing, and singing was her thing, and my grandpa could, like I said, play any instrument by ear, and so at their house, that’s all we did,” she said
“I sang at church a lot. I learned how to read from singing hymnals,” she added. “I really, just the whole time, like, my whole family, we all just were like, ‘This is what she’s gonna do.’”
Entertainment
How to watch new ‘Boy Band Confidential’ docuseries for free

A new documentary series will explore the dark side of the 1990s boy band boom.
*NSYNC member Joey Fatone is among the executive producers of “Boy Band Confidential,” which premieres tonight, April 13 on Investigation Discovery (ID).
Per an ID press release, the series explores “how the industry transformed young performers into marketable commodities while exposing untold stories of abuse, addiction and financial manipulation” through “raw, unfiltered interviews with some of the biggest names in pop.”
“Being in a boy band was one of the greatest experiences of my life but it also came with challenges we didn’t always understand at the time,” Fatone said, in the same release. “This project gave all of us a chance to reflect, to be honest, and to share what really happened behind the spotlight.”
‘boy band confidential’: what to know
- When: April 13 and 14, 9 p.m. ET
- Channel: ID
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
The four-part docuseries is part of ID’s “Hollywood Demons” series. A new five-episode season of “Hollywood Demons” is set to premiere on May 20.
‘Boy Band Confidential’ release date
“Boy Band Confidential” premieres tonight, April 13, at 9 p.m. ET on ID.
Where to watch ‘Boy Band Confidential’ for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream “Boy Band Confidential” for free.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching TV live since all of its streaming plans come with a five day free trial, many of which include ID. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $34.99/month and gain access to up to 160 live channels.
If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange One-Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ID. Sling also offers three and seven passes for its Orange plan.
‘Boy Band Confidential’ episode guide
Four episodes of “Boy Band Confidential” will air over two nights.
- Episodes 1 and 2: “The Price of Pop” – Monday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET
- Episodes 3 and 4: “Breaking the Band” – Tuesday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET
‘Boy Band Confidential’ trailer
Who will be in ‘Boy Band Confidential’?
In addition to executive producer Fatone, *NSYNC member Lance Bass is set to appear in the documentary.
Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean, Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees; Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men; Ashley Parker Angel of O-Town; Brad Fischetti of LFO and more were also interviewed for the project.
Why Trust Page Six Shopping
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for the New York Post, Page Six, and Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with information on how to watch all of your favorite reality TV shows and movies on each streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, celebrities and pop culture. Prior to joining The Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
Entertainment
‘I Dream of Jeannie’ star Barbara Eden turns heads at 94 in new photo with husband

Barbara Eden turned heads after sharing a new photo that left fans doing a double take.
Eden, 94, stunned in a photo shared on the “I Dream of Jeannie” star’s Instagram page.
The actress and her husband, Jon Eicholtz, donned matching bunny ears as they celebrated the Easter holiday together.
“She looks amazing. I want to know her secret,” one of her followers commented.
“Still gorgeous and ageless!!!” another person wrote. “Ageless beauty for sure,” read a third comment.
Eden has enjoyed a decades-long career in Hollywood, though many best remember her from the beloved 1960s sitcom. “I Dream of Jeannie” tells the tale of astronaut Major Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman), who finds a magic bottle with a 2,000-year-old genie (Eden) inside.
The two fall in love and build a life together.
The series premiered on Sept. 18, 1965, catapulting Eden to superstardom. It aired for five seasons before ending in 1970.
These days, Eden enjoys a quieter life with her husband and their dog, Bentley.
“I didn’t realize how popular ‘Jeannie’ was until several years after, and it still amazes me,” Eden told People in 2025. “I can’t believe it. I have mail from Russia. Can you imagine? I have fan mail from Russia, China, Japan, Poland, Italy, Germany, South America and the U.K. If you had told me that when we were shooting, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Eden told the outlet that fans often ask her to make Jeannie’s signature arm-folding motion to “cast a spell” for them — and sometimes, they do it back.
“It’s magic,” she said. “They always want magic. Magic is good.”
In recent years, Eden has uncorked the truth about why the 1960s sitcom was first shot in black and white before switching to color. “I was going to have a baby,” she explained in an interview with People. “And, so, they started fast. I think they thought I was going to die or something. They didn’t want to invest the money in color.”
It had long been assumed that showrunners worried about how the show’s special effects would look in color, prompting them to play it safe, People reported.
However, they were actually more concerned about hiding Eden’s growing baby bump.
“The same day that ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ sold, the doctor told me I was pregnant,” Eden previously told the outlet.
“I was thrilled. I was so happy, but I knew they’d have to replace me. Well, God love [‘I Dream of Jeannie’ creator] Sidney Sheldon. He got to work, and we did the first 13 shows with me pregnant.”
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