Joann Kelly, the daughter of R.Kelly has alleged the imprisoned singer sexually abused her as a child.
Joann, also known as Buku Abi, said she first reported the alleged abuse to her mother Drea in 2009.
“He was my everything. For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe that it happened. I didn’t know that even if he was a bad person he would do something to me,” the 26-year-old detailed.
“I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom.”
Although Joann did not share details of the alleged abuse, she said she believes the 57-year-old singer’s jail sentence is well-deserved.
“I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life and changed who I was as a person and changed the sparkle I had and the light I used to carry,” she continued.
“After I told my mom, I didn’t go over there anymore; my brother (Robert)and sister (Jaah), we didn’t go over there anymore. And even up until now I struggle with it a lot.”
Drea, mother of Kelly’s kids said; “What he did to me, he did to me. But you didn’t have to do it to my damn kids”.
Kelly and ex-wife Drea were married for 14years; from 1996 to 2009 had three children together.
However, Kelly’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean, has issued a statement vehemently denying all the listed allegations.
“Mr. Kelly vehemently denies these allegations. His ex-wife made the same allegation years ago, and it was investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and was unfounded. And the ‘filmmakers,’ whoever they are, did not reach out to Mr. Kelly or his team to even allow him to deny these hurtful claims,” his lawyer stated.
Recall that In February 2023, the R&B singer was sentenced to 20 years in prison on the charges of child pornography and enticement.
The three-time Grammy award winner will serve the years concurrently with a prior 30 years prison sentence oweing from a separate case in New York on July 29, 2022.
The singer who was best known for the 1996 smash hit ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, has consistently denied all of the various allegations and wrongdoings ascribed to him.
