A feature-length documentary on the long-term allegations of abuse against young women by the R&B singer R Kelly is in production. BuzzFeed News is co-developing the film for Hulu based on its original reporting by reporter Jim DeRogatis and editor Marisa Carroll into Kelly’s alleged misconduct, Variety reports.
The documentary will feature interviews with key figures from Kelly’s past, including associates and several women who allege mistreatment. Lyric R Cabral, director of the Emmy-winning documentary Terror, will direct. Laura Poitras (Citizenfour, Risk) and Charlotte Cook, co-founders of the documentary production company Field of Vision, will produce.
R Kelly has consistently denied the allegations against him..
DeRogatis is credited with bringing the allegations against Kelly to light. In 2001 he reported for the Chicago Sun-Times on Kelly’s alleged “pattern of sexual predation on young women” based on public record accounts of suits settled out of court and later sealed. In February 2002 he received an anonymous tape of Kelly appearing to have sex with an underage girl, which became the subject of a Sun-Times story and a police investigation.
Kelly was cleared of 14 charges of child pornography in June 2008.
(August 31, 1994) Marries underage singer Aaliyah
Then 27, Kelly allegedly marries protegée Aaliyah, then 15, in an illegal ceremony in Cook County, Chicago.
(December 16, 1996) Lawsuit from Tiffany Hawkins
Tiffany Hawkins files lawsuit alleging injuries and emotional damage from a three-year relationship with Kelly, beginning when she was 15 - it is settled out of court.
(February 3, 2002) Video emerges appearing to show Kelly engaged in sexual activity with a child
A videotape passed to Chicago Sun Times journalist Jim DeRogatis appears to show Kelly urinating on and having sex with an underage girl, which Kelly denies.
(April 16, 2002) Lawsuit from Patrice Jones
Patrice Jones alleges that Kelly had a sexual relationship with her than began when she was 16, and pressured her into terminating a pregnancy. It is settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
(May 16, 2002) Lawsuit from Montina Woods
Kelly is sued by dancer Montina Woods for secretly filming a sexual encounter between them. Kelly denies it, and settles out of court.
(June 13, 2007) Kelly cleared of 14 counts of child pornography
A Chicago jury found that the identity of the girl depicted in the child video was not conclusive, acquitting Kelly of the charges.
(January 16, 2009) Divorce from wife Andrea Kelly
Kelly is divorced from his wife Andrea. She had previously taken out, then rescinded, a protection order against him. In 2018 she details a history of alleged domestic violence during their marriage, that she says drove her close to suicide.
(July 17, 2017) BuzzFeed reports that Kelly is holding women in a sex 'cult'
Three former members of Kelly's circle claimed Kelly was holding six women in properties in Chicago and Atlanta, controlling every aspect of their lives. Kelly denied the claims.
(August 22, 2017) Woman accuses Kelly of underage sex and physical abuse
Jerhonda Pace told Rolling Stone that she lost her virginity to Kelly age 16, and that she ended the relationship after he allegedly slapped, choked and spat on her.
(March 28, 2018) Accused of grooming 14-year-old as 'sex pet'
In a BBC3 documentary, former girlfriend Kitti Jones alleged that Kelly groomed an underage girl as well as her and other young women. Kelly refused to comment.
(April 17, 2018) Accused of 'intentionally' infecting women with STD
An unnamed woman told Dallas police that Kelly had given her an STD and attempted to recruit her into his alleged sex "cult" after the pair initiated a sexual relationship when she was 19. Kelly "categorically" denied all allegations.
(May 23, 2018) Kelly responds to #MuteRKelly: 'It's too late'
Video from a private event depicts Kelly apparently describing attempts to suppress his music as "too late".
(July 16, 2018) Kelly releases I Admit
Kelly releases I Admit, a 19-minute song protesting his innocence.
(January 16, 2019) Surviving R Kelly documentary series airs on US television
Numerous women including Andrea Kelly, Jerhonda Pace and Kitti Jones reiterate their allegations in Lifetime docuseries Surviving R Kelly. Prosecutors appeal for any further victims to come forward – three women come forward in the days that follow.
(January 16, 2019) Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper remove R Kelly collaborations
Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper apologise for working with R Kelly, and remove their collaborations from streaming services.
In July 2017, DeRogatis reported for BuzzFeed that three sets of parents were accusing Kelly of holding their daughters in an “abusive cult” in which he allegedly imprisoned women in his Chicago and Atlanta residences and subjected them to physical, verbal and sexual abuse. Kelly denied the charges. In an interview with the Village Voice about his decades-long pursuit of the story, DeRogatis said: “You have to make a choice, as a listener, if music matters to you as more than mere entertainment.”
Allegations against Kelly continue to surface, with new accusations made by at least five women this month, including by one woman who alleges nonconsensual sex and that he infected her with herpes. The #MuteRKelly campaign is putting pressure on Kelly’s record label, concert promoters and streaming services to withdraw their support of his music. The Women of Color branch of the Time’s Up movement has pledged its support to the campaign, which Kelly described as “the attempted lynching of a black man”.
Spotify has withdrawn Kelly’s music from its editorial playlists in accordance with a new “hateful conduct” policy. Kelly’s management issued a statement in response: “He is innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff.” Apple Music and Pandora have also withdrawn Kelly’s music from their editorial playlists. His music remains available on all these streaming platforms. This week, footage emerged of Kelly telling a roomful of supporters that attempts to suppress his career are “too late”.
