The City of Houston’s official holiday celebration is facing unexpected controversy — and it has nothing to do with the lights or the fireworks.
While many residents are gearing up for the annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade featuring Christian singer Danny Gokey, country artist Payton Howie, and Houston’s own soul powerhouse Kam Franklin, the city’s “Deck the Hall” Christmas tree lighting event is under fire for its headliner: R&B singer Brian McKnight.
Almost immediately after the Oct. 27th announcement, Houstonians took to social media to voice their outrage.
“Brian McKnight? Hard pass,” tweeted Houston City Council member Tiffany D. Thomas.
Others were less restrained. Local food influencer Erika Harrison wrote on Threads, “Now who down at the city thought Brian McKnight was a good option for a holiday event?! He is an AWFUL person.” Comments flooded in with similar reactions, some calling the booking “tone-deaf,” others suggesting it was a “budget move.”
Political commentator Shea Smith, a frequent critic of Mayor John Whitmire, went so far as to tag a “Recall Whitmire” account while questioning how the performer was selected. “BRIAN MCKNIGHT?! The literal worst person in the R&B world?!?!” Smith wrote.
The outrage stems from McKnight’s ongoing personal controversies that have overshadowed his decades-long career. Once celebrated for timeless ballads like “Back at One” and “Anytime,” the 17-time Grammy nominee has recently become a lightning rod for criticism following public feuds with his ex-wife, Julie McKnight, and estranged children.
McKnight has faced backlash for disparaging comments about his biological children — calling them “products of sin,” and for legally changing his name to match his new family after remarrying. The situation escalated earlier this year when he posted a video celebrating an $8.8 million defamation judgment against his ex-wife, stemming from claims in her memoir. However, the ruling has yet to be finalized.
The video was shared on what would have been his late son Niko McKnight’s 33rd birthday, prompting one user on X (formerly Twitter) to call the singer “a real-life comic book villain.”
The fallout has been significant. Several of McKnight’s concerts have been canceled amid mounting public pressure, including a scheduled appearance at Claflin University’s Presidential Scholarship Gala in South Carolina. The HBCU later announced it was “exploring other options,” citing community feedback, before officially dropping him from the lineup.
Now, as McKnight prepares to perform holiday favorites and R&B hits at the Dec. 6 tree lighting in Hermann Square, the city faces its own PR headache. Mayor Whitmire is slated to lead the countdown and fireworks show, but if public sentiment is any indication, not everyone will be feeling the holiday spirit.
