R. Kelly’s daughter, Buku Abi, has come forward with allegations of childhood sexual abuse by her father.
The 26-year-old shared her traumatic experience in the documentary series “R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey,” which premiered on October 11.
Abi, whose legal name is Joann Kelly, recalled the horrific incident, saying, “I was 8 or 9 years old when it happened. I just remember waking up to him touching me… I didn’t know what to do, so I pretended to be asleep.”
The abuse, she claims, changed her life forever. “From that moment on, I was a different person.”
Despite her fear, Abi initially reported the alleged abuse to her mother, Andrea “Drea” Kelly, in 2009.
However, due to the statute of limitations, authorities couldn’t prosecute R. Kelly.
R. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, vehemently denies these allegations, citing previous investigations by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services that found no evidence.
This isn’t the first time R. Kelly faces such accusations.
Surviving R. Kelly
In January 2019, Lifetime aired “Surviving R. Kelly,” a six-part documentary series exposing the singer’s decades-long history of sexual abuse and misconduct.
The shocking revelations sparked widespread outrage and marked the beginning of Kelly’s downfall.
Loraine Ali of the Los Angeles Times described the series as “a portrait of a predator” whose behavior was consistently ignored by the music industry and the public.
The documentary featured in-depth interviews with accusers, painting a disturbing picture of Kelly’s actions.
Kelly’s response was quick and defensive.
He launched a Facebook page to discredit his accusers, but it was quickly removed for violating the platform’s standards.
Kelly granted an emotional interview to CBS’s Gayle King on March 6, 2019.
“I’m innocent,” Kelly proclaimed, blaming social media for the allegations.
However, his composure crumbled during the interview, and he stood up, pounding his chest and yelling.
The same CBS segment featured two women, Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage, who claimed to be Kelly’s girlfriends.
They defended Kelly, calling themselves “happy” and “in love” with him.
However, King later revealed that Kelly had manipulated the interview, staying nearby and loudly coughing to remind the women of his presence.
Despite Kelly’s denials, the evidence mounted against him.
In 2020, Lifetime released “Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning,” further detailing his abuses.
Two years later, the final chapter of the documentary series aired, cementing Kelly’s status as a convicted sex offender.
Prison Sentence
He was also convicted of child pornography and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.
He’s currently serving a 30-year prison sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking convictions.