The singer’s adopted son says their political rift cost him more than a home, claiming Patti LaBelle’s inner circle also cut off contact.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
<a href="https://comicvibe.com/nintendo-maintenance-schedule-august-23-2026/” title=”Nintendo maintenance schedule – August 23, 2026″>August 23, 2026
Key Takeaways
- William “Byl” Holte claims his aunt and adoptive mother, Patti LaBelle, kicked him out after a 2019 family argument over his support for Donald Trump and imposed a “LIFETIME BANISHMENT.”
- Holte says LaBelle’s circle also stopped communicating with him, even though he has since stepped away from politics.
- LaBelle has not addressed his latest claims, but in 2020 she said she loved Holte despite their political differences while warning that involving her name in his mistakes was “a no-no.”
Patti LaBelle’s 65-year-old nephew and adopted son, William “Byl” Holte, says a years-long family dispute over his political views ultimately ended with him being cut out of the singer’s life. In a series of social media posts, Holte claimed that LaBelle kicked him out of her home, where he was living rent-free, after a 2019 confrontation, and that the estrangement has since become what he described as a “LIFETIME BANISHMENT.”
According to The Grio, Holte said the breaking point came around Christmas 2019, shortly after LaBelle told him he needed to leave the home they had shared for 12 years. According to Holte, an argument erupted while relatives were discussing politics and his support for Donald Trump. He claimed that his response to the conversation angered family members and led to him being thrown out.
“Her family instantly attacked me and threw me out of her house,” Holte wrote. He further claimed that LaBelle objected when he later discussed their relationship publicly. “My punishment for using my 1st Amendment right this way was LIFETIME BANISHMENT,” he added.
Holte now says the split extends beyond his relationship with LaBelle. He claimed that because the “New Attitude” singer no longer communicates with him, members of her circle have followed suit.
Despite saying he has since stepped away from politics, Holte maintained that his political choices remain a
LaBelle has not publicly responded to Holte’s latest allegations. She did, however, address their political differences in a 2020 interview with Oprah Magazine, offering a considerably different picture of how she viewed their relationship at the time.
“I love Billy. He has a Republican mind. And, guess what? I don’t,” LaBelle said. “But do I hate him for having the mind that he has? No, I can’t.”
LaBelle also indicated then that there had already been conflict involving Holte and her name. She recalled him apologizing and said she had chosen to move forward rather than to hold the situation against him permanently.
“You give people chances,” she said, adding, “I decided to take the high road with him by letting him know that you make mistakes—but when my name comes in that mistake, that’s a no-no.”
The family dispute surfaces during an otherwise active stretch for Patti LaBelle. The 82-year-old revealed in June that she has spent roughly a year working on her first R&B album since 2005’s Classic Moments.
She has also recently reflected publicly on her six-decade career, from admitting LaBelle initially had “no clue” what “Lady Marmalade” was about to embracing the “legend” title she says she has earned.
LaBelle also closed a deal with Primary Wave last year covering royalty income from her extensive catalog.
