Tag: surviving rkelly
Former Epic Records Intern Says R. Kelly Sexually Abused Her When She Was 16
In the wake of Lifetime’s bombshell R. Kelly documentary, another accuser is speaking out for the first time, claiming he also sexually abused her when she was a teenager. Tracy Sampson tells Dateline that Kelly allegedly abused her beginning in the summer of 1999 when she was 16 and working as an intern at Epic Records. She claims he forcibly kissed her then initiated a sexual relationship with her all while she was underage. Sampson told Dateline that Kelly asked her, “‘Can I kiss you?’ and I was like, ‘No,’” to which he responded, “‘Well, give me a hug.’ And then, like, when I gave him a hug he just started kissing me.” She continued, “I was in love with him. I just didn’t know what to do. Like, I didn’t know if this was normal. I didn’t know if this is how adults acted.”
Sampson says she ended the relationship after she turned 18 and then sued Kelly in 2001 for sexual abuse, including forcing her to receive oral sex from another woman. Kelly denied the allegations but settled with Sampson out of court for $250,000. Kelly has been accused by multiple women of sexual abuse throughout his 25-year career, many of whom told their stories in Surviving R. Kelly,and in 2017 was accused of holding women against their will as part of an alleged “sex cult.” Kelly’s lawyer tells Dateline now that all of Kelly’s accusers are lying, “every one of them.”
Article via Vulture
R. Kelly’s Estranged Daughter Calls Him A ‘Monster’ Amid Sex Abuse Allegations
“I am well aware of who and what he is,” Buku Abi wrote on Instagram.
R. Kelly’s estranged daughter spoke out for the first time since the “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries premiered on Lifetime last week.
Buku Abi, whose real name is Joann Kelly, posted a statement to her Instagram stories on Thursday evening, denouncing her father as a “monster” and asking for understanding for her family. Abi is the daughter of R. Kelly and his ex-wife, Andrea Kelly.
“I just want you all to understand that devastated is an understatement for all that I feel currently,” Abi wrote. “I do apologize if my silence to all that is happening comes off as careless. That is my last intention. I pray for all the families & women who have been affected by my father’s actions. Trust, I have been deeply affected by all of this.”
She added: “The same monster you [are] all confronting me about is my father. I am well aware of who and what he is. I grew up in that house.”
Abi said neither she nor her mother have spoken to R. Kelly in years.
“My mother, siblings and I would never condone, support or be a part of ANYTHING negative he has done and or continues to do in his life,” she added.
R. Kelly did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
“Surviving R. Kelly,” a docuseries that highlights the R&B singer’s history of psychologically and sexually abusing young women, brought renewed attention to the accusations and increased pressure to pursue criminal charges. Prosecutors in Georgia announced this week that they are investigating some of the allegations discussed in the docuseries.
An average of 2.1 million people tuned in to watch the series, which aired from Jan. 3 to Jan. 5, and the National Sexual Assault Hotline recently reported a 20-percent surge in calls on dates the program aired.
In the last few weeks, multiple artists, including Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper, have publicly apologized for working with R. Kelly and have condemned his alleged behavior.
Andrea Kelly, was married to R. Kelly for 13 years until 2009. Last year, she spoke out, alleging she endured domestic abuse at the hands of Kelly in an interview with TV One’s “Sister Circle.”
Read Abi’s full statement on HuffingtonPost