R. Kelly‘s children are speaking out about their embattled father and the damage he’s done to their lives in the new documentary, R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey. The documentary comes to The TVEI Streaming Network on Friday.
Directed by Venessa Renee and executive produced by Mann Robinson, R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey features R. Kelly’s daughter Buku Abi (born Joanne Kelly) speaking out for the first time about what she has endured from the singer.
Buki Abi speaks against her father
Her testimony is described as “powerful and heart-wrenching” as she tells “how she views her father as a monster, acknowledging the deep emotional scars his actions have left not only on his victims but also on her and their family. She bravely confronts the trauma and pain she has endured, standing in solidarity with those who were wronged by her father’s criminal behavior.”
In the documentary, Abi alleges that her father sexually abused her when she was a child, People reported.
“He was my everything,” she said in one of the episodes. “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 that he would do something to me. I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom.”
In the other episode, she said, “I just remember waking up to him touching me. And I didn’t know what to do, so I just kind of laid there, and I pretended to be asleep.”
She says she and her mother went to the police, but nothing came of it. “They couldn’t prosecute him because I waited too long. So at that point in my life, I felt like I said something for nothing,” she said.
R. Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean, released a statement to People which reads, “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.”
R. Kelly’s two other kids are also in the documentary
R. Kelly’s other children, daughter Jaah Kelly and son Robert Kelly Jr., are also featured in the documentary, with Robert Jr. discussing “the negative connotations surrounding their family and the intense scrutiny they’ve faced.” Robert Jr. condemns his father, but wants viewers to know that his family’s identity is separate from what Kelly has done.
Drea Kelly is also in the documentary
Drea Kelly, R. Kelly’s ex-wife, also makes an appearance, who emphasizes that the documentary “will also serve as a voice for those who were silenced, including her children, who have lived in the shadow of their father’s monstrous crimes for far too long.”
Robinson said in a statement how courageous the Kelly siblings have been in speaking out against their father.
“This is a story about trauma, survival, and reclaiming identity in the face of unimaginable pain,” he said. “The courage The Kelly children have shown in speaking out is remarkable, and I believe this documentary will shed new light on the far-reaching effects of R. Kelly’s actions, not just on his victims but also on his own family.”
Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child pornography and sexual enticement of minors in 2023. This sentence is on top of the 30-year sentence he was sentenced to in 2022 for sex trafficking and federal racketeering.
Watch the intense trailer below.
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