In Case You Missed It…R. Kelly’s Abuse Allegations Recap
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WRITTEN BY: Vincent Lacey
Andrea “Drea” Kelly, and daughter Abi (Joann Kelly) have recently come forth on Good Morning Britain to reveal their thoughts on the abuse allegations faced by R&B singer R. Kelly. Drea’s ex-husband and Abi’s father.
In their emotional plea, both Abi and Drea explain why they have conflicting thoughts about their scorned family member. As Drea puts it,
“It’s devastating at heart, because I wear two hats. I sit here not only as a survivor, but also as the mother of his three children”.
She went on to mention how Robert has abused her mentally, physically, as well as financially as of late by halting his child support payments to her since she came forth about the abuse last June.
For nearly twenty years now, R&B singer R. Kelly has been facing allegations of sexual abuse from various women, including those who were underage during their time of interaction. Among these allegations include that of mental abuse, as well as physical in what is essentially being deemed as a ‘sex cult’.
In 2002, a video was sent to The Chicago Sun Times that showed what appeared to be R. Kelly having sexual intercourse with a minor, and also urinating in her mouth. That same year, two more lawsuits were filed against Kelly. One woman claiming that R. Kelly impregnated her while she was underage and forced her to have an abortion. The other claimed that she was videotaped during sex without her consent. Both of those suits were settled outside of court.
The police went on to investigate the video footage later that June to where Kelly was indicted by a grand jury on 21 counts of child photography. He pleaded not guilty, and the case never made it to trial for over 5-years. Finally, the trial began in 2008. The jury came to the decision that the girl in the video could not be identified and Kelly was found not-guilty on all counts. The girl in the video never testified.
A summary of R. Kelly’s legal battles can be found here, from the New York Times.
Throughout the years, these allegations have been recognized within the public sphere but have been taken fairly lightly by the vast majority, as R.Kelly continued to perform and release music.
In addition to this, many shows like South Park, and the Chappelle Show have satirized R. Kelly’s sex life. See here: Dave Chappelle’s skit referencing the leaked R. Kelly tapes that surfaced in 2002
It has been looked at much more seriously as of late due to the recent release of the Lifetime special “Surviving R. Kelly”. A documentary series that highlights the experiences of the many women who have come forth against R. Kelly’s alleged abuse.
Upon watching this documentary, it becomes difficult to dispel ANY rumors against Kelly. The personal accounts from the victims as well as from people close to Robert who provide evidence that is both irrefutable and heartbreaking.
Yet still, many people are on the fence about their supposed “King of R&B” (as proclaimed by the artist himself). Possibly because they have not seen the documentary themselves, or for the fact that they can’t seem to get past their idolization of him.
Nevertheless, Robert Kelly has denied all accusations set against him up to this point. There has been an uproar to fizzle R. Kelly out of Pop Culture with online movements such as “#MuteRKelly”. The 52-year old still faces no criminal charges.
His publicist and lawyer have both parted ways with him. The singer has also been dropped by SONY music.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/arts/music/rkelly-accusations-sexual-assault-history.html
https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/r-kelly-dropped-sony-music-1203106180/
