Kehlani and Javaughn Young-White's Relationship Timeline Was Good Until It Wasn't

While singer Kehlani kicked off a tour for their album, "Crash," in 2024, their personal life has been the main topic on fans' minds, as she and her former partner, Javaughn Young-White, refuse to keep us away from their business.

In August 2024, Kehlani, who uses she/they pronouns, made headlines after Javaughn filed for full custody of their daughter, Ayeda Nomi, born in 2019. The custody battle has resulted in the once-private exes bringing their issues to social media — because that always ends well!

Kehlani and Javaugn's nasty feud seemingly came out of nowhere for those who followed their relationship. Although they weren't together long, the pair seemed to have co-parenting down pat, though that's far from the case today.

Keep reading to see Kehlani and Javaugn's relationship timeline.

Kehlani revealed their romance with Javaughn on Nicki Minaj's Queen Radio in 2018, one week after announcing they were expecting a baby. Javaughn, comedian Jaboukie Young-White's brother, was Kehlani's guitarist. Both being members of the LGBTQ+ community, they bonded over their shared experiences. Kehlani had previously identified as queer before coming out as a lesbian.

"He understands my queerness and my fluidity, and I understand him," they said during the interview. "It’s very awesome to be understood.”

Kehlani and Javaughn often defended their relationship online, as some fans oddly wondered how the singer was pregnant when she previously dated women, though they've dated other cishet men before. Still, the couple were going strong and, in March 2019, welcomed their baby girl, Adeya, in a home birth. Javaughn and Kehlani both documented the happy news in separate social media posts, which have since been deleted.

After Adeya's birth, the pair broke up and never shared what led to the split.

Although they didn't work out as a couple, Kehlani and Javaughn were in a positive place for their daughter. In 2021, the "After Hours" singer opened up about their co-parenting relationship with their ex on their Facebook Watch special, Pride On! Kehlani & Larry's Excellent Pride Ride.

"Me and her dad are like really, really close friends," Kehlani said on the show, per Pop Culture. "And the decision to start a family was really easy for us because we both believed in each other's ability to be good parents."

Five years after the couple parted ways, Javaughn dropped multiple bombshells about his and Kehlani's once-solid co-parenting bond. In August 2024, court documents obtained by People surfaced of him requesting full custody of their daughter and child support from Kehlani. Javaughn claimed the singer is in a cult and has left their child with "random strangers" to care for her while they're on tour. One of the strangers is allegedly a woman Kehlani calls "Messiah," who allegedly bathes with their daughter while under the influence of psychedelics.

Javaughn also alleged that Kehlani's cult leader had "numerous accusations of committing sexual assault" against women and young girls. He said that when he would express his concerns with Kehlani, she "resorts to disparaging me online to her millions of social media followers."

Several days after the filing went public, social media and multiple outlets accused Kehlani of being in a sex cult. While the singer has been candid about their previous experiences practicing the Regla de Ocha religion, or Santería, a religion that combines elements of Catholicism with the Yoruba religion of West Africa, per Brittanica.

Kehlani took to Instagram Stories to refute the claims they ever put involved their child in a sex cult or any other dangerous environment. Kehlani also said in the statement that the situation was a "legal, private, familial matter" between her and Javaughn.

"I have always taken great care to ensure that my child remains protected and safe at all times," they said in the post. "My child and my commitment to motherhood have always been my sole driving forces in this life and will always remain so. This is who I am and what I have always been focused on."

While Javaughn moved forward with the filing, he defended his ex with another post on his Instagram. He slammed outlets who accused Kehlani of being in a sex cult.

"I never said that I think Santería is a sex cult," Javaughn stated. "Nor did I say my daughter is in a sex cult. That's factually incorrect and I think it's disgusting that [the media] would exploit a child's image like that.

Amid Javaughn's claims regarding Kehlani's alleged parenting choices, the "Toxic" singer filed a restraining order against him for physical, verbal and emotional abuse. According to Page Six, they were granted the restraining order on Friday, Aug. 9. The filing stated Kehlani had been allegedly abused by Javaughn on multiple occasions, including during her pregnancy. However, the singer's final straw allegedly came in June 2024 after an incident where he allegedly "smashed through [Kehlani's locked bedroom doors [in] a fit of anger.”

They also accused Javaughn of being unkempt around their daughter, stating, "If he has our daughter in his care, she is returned filthy and reeking of marijuana.” Kehlani then said Javaughn is "emotionally unwell," which they believe is the catalyst for their "turbulent behavior."

After the filing went public online, Javaughn addressed Kehlani's claims in another series of Instagram posts. He shared alleged texts between them and accused Kehlani of being the abuser in their relationship. Javaughn shared screenshots of their texts from July 2024, where he refused to have "direct communication" with them regarding their daughter. He then wrote that he went "no contact" with Kehlani in July before he filed for custody.

Javaughn further alleged that, in one incident between them, Kehlani "busted through her own door and is framing her abuse as mine." He then continued sharing more screenshots of their conversations, including them praising their ex for being an "incredible father" and claiming he wanted them to leave him alone on multiple occasions. Kehlani responded on Instagram and denied telling the press about her restraining order against Javaughn.