Joann Kelly, daughter of renowned American artist R. Kelly, has come forward with allegations of childhood sexual abuse by her father.
In a new two-part documentary series on the TVEI Streaming Network, Joann revealed that she first disclosed the abuse to her mother, Drea, back in 2009.
However Joann did not elaborate on the specifics of the abuse but shared in an episode of the series titled Karma: A Daughter’s Journey that she believes the 57-year-old singer’s imprisonment is justified.
“My father was my everything. For a long time, I didn’t want to believe that it happened. I didn’t know that he would do something to me even if he was a bad person.
“I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom. I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life, who I was as a person and the light I used to0 carry.
“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.”
In response to the documentary, the singer’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, issued a public statement refuting the accusations.
It’s worth noting that the singer was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February 2023 on charges related to child pornography and enticement.
This sentence will run concurrently with an earlier 30-year prison term handed down in a separate case in New York on the 29th of July, 2022.