CurrentReport Blog Joann Kelly, the daughter of disgraced American singer R. Kelly, has come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against her father. In a new two-part documentary series titled Karma: A Daughter’s Journey on the TVEI Streaming Network, Joann revealed that she first reported the abuse to her mother, Drea, in 2009.
Joann, now 26, did not provide specific details of the alleged abuse but expressed the profound impact it had on her life. She stated in the documentary that R. Kelly’s prison sentence is well deserved. “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,” she said.
Reflecting on the emotional trauma, Joann added, “I was too scared to tell anybody. I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life, who I was as a person and the light I used to carry.”
Following her revelation to her mother, Joann and her siblings, Robert and Jaah, stopped visiting their father. She noted that the experience continues to affect her, even as she tries to heal from the past.
R. Kelly’s legal team, represented by attorney Jennifer Bonjean, has denied the allegations in a public statement, challenging the claims made in the documentary.
The controversial singer is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for child pornography and enticement charges, handed down in February 2023. This sentence is to be served concurrently with a 30-year sentence from a separate conviction in New York in July 2022 for racketeering and sex trafficking.
