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R. Kelly's Daughter to Share a "Heartbreaking Secret" successful Upcoming Documentary
Warning: This communicative contains details astir alleged intersexual abuse.
R. Kelly's estranged daughter is speaking retired astir a traumatic experience.
Joann Kelly, who besides goes by the name Buku Abi, alleges successful a caller documentary that that the R&B singer, who is presently serving a 30-year situation sentence for crimes against underage girls betwixt 12 and 17, sexually abused her erstwhile she was astir 8 oregon 9 years old.
"I conscionable retrieve waking up to him touching me," she tearfully said connected the two-part TVEI Network documentary Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, per People. "And I didn’t cognize what to do, truthful I conscionable benignant of laid there, and I pretended to beryllium asleep."
The vocalist denies abusing his daughter. "Mr. Kelly vehemently denies these allegations," his attorney Jennifer Bonjean said successful a connection to People. "His ex-wife made the aforesaid allegation years ago, and it was investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and was unfounded."
E! News has reached retired to R. Kelly's rep for remark and has not heard back.
In the documentary, released Oct. 11, Joann recounted telling her parent Andrea Kelly, astir the alleged maltreatment successful 2009 erstwhile she was 10. While the 2 filed a ailment with the police, nether the sanction "Jane Doe," nary charges were filed.
In 2014, Andrea filed papers seeking sole custody of Joann and her and R. Kelly's 2 different children, Jaah and Robert. In that filing, she alleged that the vocalist had molested a preteen miss successful 2009 and that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigated the accusations and deemed them to beryllium "unfounded," Chicago vigor presumption WBEZ reported successful 2020.
They reported that the motion—which was unsealed that twelvemonth pursuing the outlet's ineligible efforts— had noted that the DCFS caseworker "advised Jane Doe's parent that contempt the information that [the caseworker] believed that the events occurred, she had nary prime but to deem the substance unfounded."
Jason Wambsgans-Pool/Getty Images
Ahead of the doc’s release, TVEI had previewed Joann emotionally recounting portion of her story.
"He was my everything for a agelong time," Joann says successful the footage released Sept. 29. "I didn't adjacent privation to judge it happened."
The 26-year-old continued, "I didn't cognize that adjacent if helium was a atrocious person, that helium would bash thing to me."
R. Kelly was convicted successful 2021 of racketeering and enactment trafficking charges and sentenced to 30 years successful prison. In 2022, helium was recovered blameworthy of kid pornography and enticing minors for enactment and sentenced to 20 years down bars. On Oct. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to perceive an entreaty that the vocalist had filed implicit the second conviction, multiple outlets reported.
The 57-year-old is serving 19 years of some of his sentences concurrently and is eligible for merchandise successful 2045.
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R. Kelly
In airy of the six-part Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, which chronicled the past of allegations brought against R. Kelly by women who assertion they were subjects of his abuse, respective of his erstwhile collaborators and peers wrong the euphony manufacture person spoken retired against him.
R. Kelly has consistently denied immoderate allegations of maltreatment oregon misconduct and has not been convicted of immoderate crimes connected with the allegations. He has not addressed the beneath remarks astir him publicly.
Matt Crossick/PA Images via Getty Images
Lady Gaga
The popular star, who collaborated with R. Kelly connected 2013's "Do What You Want," vowed to person the azygous scrubbed from iTunes and different streaming services in a statement issued Jan. 9.
She explained successful part, "What I americium proceeding astir the allegations against R. Kelly is perfectly horrifying and indefensible. As a unfortunate of intersexual battle myself, I made some the opus and video astatine a acheronian clip successful my life, my volition was to make thing highly defiant and provocative due to the fact that I was aggravated and inactive hadn't processed the trauma that had occurred successful my ain life... I deliberation it's wide however explicitly twisted my reasoning was astatine the time."
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John Legend
After appearing connected Lifetime's docuseries, the performer weighed successful on the effect to Surviving R. Kelly, tweeting connected Jan. 3, "To everyone telling maine however courageous I americium for appearing successful the doc, it didn't consciousness risky astatine all. I judge these women and don't springiness a f--k astir protecting a serial kid rapist. Easy decision."
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Cara Delevingne
The supermodel revealed connected Jan. 11 that speaking retired against R. Kelly cost her 50,000 Instagram followers, writing, "I person ever been taught to debar confrontation astatine each costs, which caused maine to beryllium soundless astir of my life, soundlessness causes suppression and suppression causes sickness. Not anymore! "Goodbye soundlessness and backwards followers, hullo confrontation and guardant thinkers... #MuteRKelly."
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Chance the Rapper
The hip-hop prima called their 2015 duet "Somewhere successful Paradise" a "mistake" successful an audio signaling that aired on Surviving R. Kelly. He further tweeted connected Jan. 5, "I apologize to each of his survivors for moving with him and for taking truthful agelong to talk out."
Jen Lowery / Splash News
Keke Palmer
The Scream Queen star, who described herself arsenic a erstwhile "student" of R. Kelly's, spoke retired against the scorned artist successful a lengthy connection connected societal media connected Jan. 9. It work successful part, "R. Kelly received that grace from God. God blessed him to vindicate his puerility shortcomings and yet inactive helium has slapped God successful the look by his actions towards these women. I americium wounded and saddened due to the fact that helium could person been a blessing to these women but alternatively helium repeatedly took vantage and that I cannot accept."
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Omarion
The R&B vocalist announced via Twitter connected Jan. 6 his plans to discontinue his galore R. Kelly collaborations, which see "Bump, Bump, Bump" and "What a Girl Wants." Omarion besides tweeted, "His creator genius inspired america all. His euphony is being muted by the acheronian of his actions. The acheronian ever comes to light."
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Jojo
In a bid of tweets posted connected Jan. 5, the singer-songwriter described herself arsenic a "huge" instrumentality of R. Kelly and said she "could person easy fallen unfortunate to idiosyncratic similar R. Kelly" successful the aboriginal days of her career. She shared successful different tweet, "I consciousness DEEPLY for these COURAGEOUS QUEENS who travel guardant and successful immoderate cases hazard their lives [to] stock their communicative & fto others cognize they're not alone!!!! Going up against almighty people/entities [is] f--king intimidating/ terrifying."
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Ne-Yo
The R&B vocalist spoke retired successful enactment of the #MuteRKelly hashtag, writing connected Instagram, "There is NO excuse. Music is important. It truly is. But it's not much important than protecting our children, protecting our small girls. PERIOD."
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