Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault, and rape. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
R. Kelly past wrongdoings just keep following him like a bad smell. The latest reminder that R. Kelly is a serial predator, who is responsible for multiple statutory rape allegations, is his promised lawsuit against Lifetime.
Overnight, the 51-year-old artist threatened to sue American pay television network Lifetime if it made good on plans to air its Surviving R. Kelly docuseries last night.
According to TMZ, R. Kelly’s legal team sent a letter to Lifetime warning the company that should the six-part docuseries air as intended, Kelly would file a federal lawsuit on the same day.
Watch the trailer for ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ below:
In the letter, R. Kelly’s lawyer claimed the program was “packed with lies.” So let’s take a quick peek at just some of the sexual abuse allegations, shall we?
Over R. Kelly’s 25 year history of sexual, physical and emotional abuse allegations, he:
- Married 15-year-old Aaliyah in 1994 using a false birth certificate that claimed she was 18.
- Had an alleged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old Tiffany Hawkins in 1991 when he was 24.
- Featured in a videotape sent anonymously to the Chicago Sun-Times in 2001. The editors believed it to be evidence of possible child pornography.
- In the infamous “pee tape” of 2002 Kelly engaged in sex acts with and urinating on a 14-year-old girl. Later that year Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of making child pornography.
- Was accused of running a “sex cult” at his home in Chicago. In 2017 BuzzFeed published its “sex cult” story where a former personal assistant to Kelly said he only permits the women to wear jogging suits so that other men can’t see the outlines of their bodies.
It’s been 25 years since R. Kelly first had to answer to the allegations and while he hasn’t been found guilty in a court of law, the years of piling evidence, along with movements like Time’s Up and #MuteRKelly are certainly signifiers of upcoming retribution.
