‘Dude Did a Whole Brian McKnight’: Gary Owen Under Fire For Not Talking to His Older Kids While Celebrating First Birthday of New Twins

Comedian Gary Owen took a moment to wish his youngest sons a happy first birthday but his heartfelt words were derailed when fans began calling him out over his strained relationship with his kids from his first marriage.

In early 2023, rumors began swirling that the 49-year-old comedian was expecting twins following his messy divorce from ex-wife Kenya Duke.

In May 2024, while a guest on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Owen finally confirmed that he and his new fiancee, Brianna Johnson , had welcomed two new bundles of joy —“One white. One Black” — to their family.

On July 14, Owen took to Instagram to wish his twins, Royal Blu and Rome Bohdi Owens, a joyous first birthday. In true Gary Owen fashion, he took a comedic approach to the birthday message, writing, “Happy 1st Birthday to my boys. Still trying to figure out how I got twins and one looks like @joeyb_9 & one looks like @cj7stroud . You never know what you getting with mixed babies. #RoRo #OldAssDaddy #Twins”

The images accompanying the caption featured his sons dressed as mini football players CJ Stroud and Joe Burrow.

Friends rushed to the comment section to send love to the youngsters.

“Soooooo cute friend! Congrats and happy birthday lil ones,” wrote model and talk show host Claudia Jordan.

“They’re adorable! Happy 1st birthday to the twins!” an excited fan wrote.

However, several fans were either confused that the beloved comedian had recently welcomed children or upset that his older adult children weren’t getting the same love.

“Not really my business but….. who’s the mom? We need answers. You know you can’t just show up in a black house with no tea lol they are adorable tho,” one fan commented.

Another commenter stated, “Damn, now we know why his other kids stopped talking to him. This just came outta nowhere.”

“Just don’t do a Brian McKnight on the other kids,” another comment read, followed by a fan who joked, “his dude did a whole Brian McKnight….nah but seriously Happy Birthday to the twins.”

A fourth person wrote, “That’s why she divorced him! Wow,” while another disappointed fan said, “I swear you men have all the privilege..you can start a new family and new life with a younger woman like the first wife didn’t even matter..meanwhile your ex may never marry again because she’s older..tough. Congrats, though.”

Many of Owen’s fans, however, did rush to his defense, noting that not only did the comedian already reveal he was a father of new twins, but that he still seeks a relationship with his elder children as well.

“Yall must not have listened to the shannon sharpe interview he talked about the twins. He aint mention they were this cute though,” a fan commented.

“This is not like Brian’s situation,” a fan stated, shutting down Brian McKnight comparisons from critics in the comment section. “He actually wants a relationship with his other kids, and they do not. He has tried. Brian said FTK and started over. That’s not the same.”

A third person chimed in, “He clearly still speaks of his adoration of his ADULT children from his previous wife. The man can move on. He’s been divorced THREE years already.”

A fourth defender wrote, “Yall crazy…. They kids want nothing to do with him, he’s divorced ohhh ok despite his past….. is he supposed to just not continue life? Ppl grow apart, life happens!!! I’m sure he made mistakes but at this point he’s not in that relationship anymore. Is he supposed to be depressed and sad? How do we know he didn’t go through all of that? Mind yall business WE DONT KNOW THEM!!!!!”

There were also a few people who took a comedic approach to Owen’s family drama.

“Okkkkuuuuurrr … Kids don’t wanna speak, I’ll MAKE NEW ONES… BabyDaddy Goals,” one fan wrote, while another said, “My man said F, his old family. He got a new one now.”

Gary Owen has opened up about his strained relationship with the children he fathered with ex-wife Kenya Duke: Austin, 23, and Kennedy, 21. Kenya also has a son, Emilio, from a previous relationship whom Owen adopted. The comedian has reportedly not spoken to the kids in three years.

Owen and Duke were together for 23 years before divorcing in 2021. When the pair split, Owen says the children stopped talking to him. Owen believes that the kids finding out about the divorce from TMZ may have played a factor in the rift between them. Duke, however, believes that Owen makes matters worse by continuing to discuss their personal drama, specifically pertaining to the kids, in the media. She says the comedian doesn’t “respect their boundaries,” and that’s why they want nothing to do with him.

While talking to Shannon Sharpe about how wonderful his toddlers are, Owen said, “What sucks too … is my kids … they don’t know them right,” he said to Sharpe. “They don’t have no relationship with them, and I don’t want them to meet them when they’re 4 or 5.”

‘Dude Did a Whole Brian McKnight’: Gary Owen Under Fire For Not Talking to His Older Kids While Celebrating First Birthday of New Twins