Patti LaBelle's adopted son and nephew William Holte has claimed the singer kicked him out of her home over his support for Donald Trump.
The 82-year-old soul star allegedly informed Holte at Christmas 2019 that he had to move out of her $2.3 million home, where he had lived for 12 years. Holte detailed the fallout in a statement posted on X on Thursday.
Holte, who was born to LaBelle's late sister Jacqueline Holte, prefaced his post by writing, "Here’s what supporting TRUMP cost me." He claimed that during a family discussion about the former president, he challenged his aunt directly after hearing relatives describe Trump as a threat.
According to Holte, he asked LaBelle why he should fear Trump when she was the one making him homeless. He claimed he was instantly attacked by her family and thrown out of the house as a result.
Social media backlash
Social media users on Reddit quickly criticized Holte for showing entitlement, with several commenters telling him to get a job. Many pointed out that living in his aunt's property was a privilege rather than a constitutional right.
Responding directly to Holte's assertion that his punishment for using his First Amendment right was lifetime banishment, one commenter noted that the First Amendment protects citizens from the government, not from house rules at an aunt's property.
Another user shared old viral comments from Demi Lovato, in which the singer told an overzealous fan to get a job and stay away from her younger sister.
Redditors also questioned Holte's description of sharing the residence with LaBelle. Commenters highlighted that LaBelle owned the property 10,000 percent herself, with one user asking if his story was meant to sound like a whiny mooch complaining after a generous aunt told him to kick rocks.
Other users called out the semantics of his post, suggesting he should pull himself up by his bootstraps instead of airing family grievances online.
Ongoing family rift
Holte claimed LaBelle is still not speaking to him and that no one in her inner circle will talk to him either. He added that he expects the banishment to last for the rest of his life.
Declaring his allegiance to the Republican Party, Holte wrote that no one violates and disrespects democracy and free speech more than Democrats. He finished his post by stating he would rather vote Republican because he wants to than Democrat because he has to.
A representative for LaBelle did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Mail.
LaBelle, an acclaimed singer known as the Godmother of Soul, previously addressed her nephew's political views during an interview with O magazine in 2020. At the time, she acknowledged that Billy had a Republican mind while she did not, but said she chose to take the high road because she loved him.
"Guess what? I didn’t choose my family. I choose my friends," LaBelle said in the 2020 interview. She explained that while she did not share his views, she could not beat him up for making mistakes, though she noted that when her name comes into those mistakes, that is a no-no.
