Ne-Yo said he doesn’t understand why parents allow their children to make “life-changing” decisions about their gender at a young age.
During an interview with former video girl Gloria Velez for VladTV, the “Miss Independent” singer shared his thoughts on why parents have “forgotten” their roles.
“I feel like the parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is,” he began. “If your little boy comes up to you and says, ‘Daddy I wanna be a girl,’ you just let him rock with that?”
Ne-Yo added, “Where did he get that? If you let this 5-year-old little boy eat candy all day, he’s gonna do that. Like, when did it become a good idea to let a 5-year-old, a 6-year-old, a 12-year-old make a life-changing decision?
“When did that happen? Like, I don’t understand that.”
The Grammy winner, 43, said that he comes from “an era” where a “man was a man and a woman was a woman.”
“There was two genders and that’s just how I rocked,” he said. “You could identify as a goldfish if you feel like, that ain’t my business. It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game.
“I’m not gonna call you a goldfish.”
After the video of Ne-Yo’s comments surfaced online, fans gave mixed reviews about his remarks.
“Ne-Yo giving parenting advice is like getting racial sensitivity training from Paula Deen,” tweeted one critic.
“Who gives a f–k what Ne-Yo thinks at a time like this,” added another.
“Mind you he has 7 children with multiple different women. Maybe he need to be focused on how to use a condom instead of worrying about other people,” said a third user.
Other fans came to the songwriter’s defense, including one person who tweeted, “I stand with Neyo,” while another added, “Full agree, so glad he’s on camera saying all this. Also, Ne-Yo was one of the best artists in the 2000’s.”
Ne-Yo was recently compared to Nick Cannon when he posted a picture of himself with his seven kids on Instagram last month.
The “So Sick” singer shares daughter Madilyn, 12, and son Mason, 11, with ex-fiancée and “RHOA” star Monyetta Shaw.
He is also dad to children — Shaffer Chimere Jr., 7, Roman Alexander-Raj, 5, and Isabella Rose, 2 — with ex-wife Crystal Renay.
Last July, Renay accused Ne-Yo of cheating on her with “numerous” women over the course of their nearly decade-long relationship. When she filed for divorce, she alleged that he had fathered a child with another woman.
Two months after they finalized their divorce in January, the “Because of You” singer sought parental rights for Braiden, who was born in 2021, and Brixton, who arrived in February, with his then-girlfriend Sadé Jenea.
