In a shocking revelation, Joann Kelly, daughter of disgraced American singer R. Kelly, has come forward with allegations of childhood sexual abuse by her father.
The 26-year-old shared her traumatic experience in the two-part documentary series “Karma: A Daughter’s Journey” on TVEI Streaming Network.
Joann recounted first reporting the abuse to her mother, Drea, in 2009 but chose not to detail the alleged abuse. Instead, she emphasized that her father’s jail sentence was 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,” Joann said in the documentary.
She revealed the emotional struggle of keeping the secret and the fear that prevented her from speaking out earlier. “I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom… 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.”
R. Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, has denied the allegations in a public statement.
This development comes after R. Kelly’s sentencing to 20 years in prison in February 2023 for child pornography and enticement charges, to be served concurrently with a prior 30-year prison sentence from a separate case in New York.
The documentary sheds light on the long-lasting impact of R. Kelly’s actions on his family and victims.
