Current:Home > MarketsR. Kelly's Daughter Joann Kelly to Share a "Heartbreaking Secret" in Upcoming Documentary -PrimeFinance
R. Kelly's Daughter Joann Kelly to Share a "Heartbreaking Secret" in Upcoming Documentary
View
Date:2025-04-17 17:02:43
R. Kelly's estranged daughter has been carrying a heartbreaking childhood secret.
In a new documentary, Joann Kelly, who also goes by the name Buku Abi, shares details about her experience growing up with the R&B singer, who is serving a more than 30-year prison sentence for sex crimes against underage girls.
"He was my everything for a long time," Joann, who was not named as one of the victims during Kelly's 2021 trial, says in the TVEI Network's R. Kelly's Karma: A Daughter's Journey, as seen in a trailer released Sept. 29. "I didn't even want to believe it happened."
The 26-year-old continued, "I didn't know that even if he was a bad person, that he would do something to me. I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life."
According to TVEI, in the documentary, Kelly's daughter "bravely reveals a heartbreaking secret that shattered her childhood."
Joann, who appeared to be pregnant while filming the documentary, vowed to be open about her experiences with her son and keep him away from the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer.
"If my son asks questions I'm going to be as truthful as possible," she said, "but I would not be taking my son to a prison to meet his grandfather."
Kelly will be 78 when he eligible for release from prison in 2045. In April, a federal appeals court upheld his convictions on child pornography and enticement charges, more than 18 months after the conclusion of his trial in Chicago, WTTW reported.
Joann's mother, Kelly’s ex-wife Drea Kelly, also appears in the documentary. "Just because you’re not a good husband, doesn't mean you can’t be a good father. And the fact that he didn’t even try," the 50-year-old said in the trailer. "What he did to me, he did to me. But you didn’t have to do it to my damn kids."
In 2019, Joann spoke out about her father after the release of the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, which chronicled allegations of abuse and pedophilia that others made about the singer.
The project preceded an investigation against Kelly that helped lead to his 2022 conviction of racketeering and sex trafficking, and a year later, convictions for felony sexual exploitation of a child, enticement of a female, and possession of material containing child pornography.
"The same monster you all confronting me about is my father," Joann wrote on her Instagram Story at the time. "I am well aware of who and what he is. I grew up in that house. My choice to not speak on him and what he does is for my peace of mind. My emotional state. And for MY healing. I have to do & move in a manner that is best for me."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (187)
Related
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Commanders coach Ron Rivera: Some players 'concerned' about Eric Bieniemy's intensity
- NYPD Blue Child Star Austin Majors' Cause of Death Revealed
- Teen sisters have been missing from Michigan since June. The FBI is joining the search.
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Romanian care homes scandal spotlights abuse described as ‘inhumane and degrading’
- Horoscopes Today, August 8, 2023
- Man accused of holding wife captive in France being released, charges unfounded, prosecutor says
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- New York governor recalibrates on crime, with control of the House at stake
Ranking
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- The science of happiness sounds great. But is the research solid?
- Banks get a downgrade from Moody's. Here are the 10 lenders impacted.
- Meat processor ordered to pay fines after teen lost hand in grinder
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- 'Justified: City Primeval': Cast, episode schedule, where to watch on TV, how to stream
- Run-D.M.C's 'Walk This Way' brought hip-hop to the masses and made Aerosmith cool again
- Sinéad O'Connor Laid to Rest in Private Ceremony Attended by U2's Bono
Recommendation
The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
Revitalizing a ‘lost art’: How young Sikhs are reconnecting with music, changing religious practice
Sandra Bullock's longtime partner Bryan Randall dies at 57 after battle with ALS
Utility group calls for changes to proposed EPA climate rules
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Amazon nations seek common voice on climate change, urge developed world to help protect rainforest
Are Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg actually going to fight? Here's what we know so far
Murder charge against Texas babysitter convicted of toddler's choking death dismissed 20 years later