Ne-Yo has been legally declared the father of his ex-girlfriend Sade Bagnerise’s two youngest children, thus bringing a long and messy legal battle to a conclusion.
TMZ is reporting that the “Miss Independent” singer was declared the father of Braiden and Brixton on Friday (September 29) after a DNA test proved paternity. The court order also requires that the children’s last names be changed from Bagnerise — which is their mother’s last name — to Smith (which is Ne-Yo’s).
In addition, the order says that these children have all the other rights and privileges afforded to the R&B singer’s other children.
Back in May, Ne-Yo (real name Shaffer Smith) filed a petition against his ex-girlfriend Sade Bagnerise. According to the documents, Ne-Yo confirmed that he was the biological father of the older child Braiden Bagnerise, but had questions about the younger child Brixton Bagnerise. Therefore, he demanded a DNA test to establish paternity.
What’s more, he made demands for joint custody and a “liberal parenting schedule,” claiming that both are in the best interests of the children, and he wanted Braiden to take his last name.
Ne-Yo’s love life has been nothing if not messy. Back in February, he finalized his divorce from Crystal Renay and ended up having to write a check for nearly $2 million to get out of it all.
Renay filed for divorce in August 2022, just four months after they renewed their vows. She claimed that Ne-Yo had cheated on her “numerous times” and even secretly fathered a child with Bagnerise during their eight-year marriage.
“8 years of lies and deception,” she wrote in a scathing Instagram post last summer. “8 years of unknowingly sharing my life and husband with numerous women who sell their bodies to him unprotected… every last one of them! To say I’m heartbroken and disgusted is an understatement. To ask me to stay and accept it is absolutely insane. The mentality of a narcissist.”
Ne-Yo Ordered To Mediation With Ex-Girlfriend As Child Support War Continues
She added: “I will no longer lie to the public or pretend that this is something it isn’t. I choose me, I choose my happiness and health and my respect.”
Renay also took one of their four Georgia homes and Ne-Yo is covering $20,000 worth of her moving expenses.
Additionally, Renay claimed she needs a new car and Ne-Yo will be paying for that to the tune of a $150,000 check to purchase whichever vehicle she pleases, while the “So Sick” singer has opted to keep their 2022 Bentley Bentayga.
