R. Kelly: singer’s daughter claims her father sexually abused her

R. Kelly targeted for the umpteenth time by accusations of sexual assault. This time, it is his daughter, Buku Abi, who claims that the American singer sexually abused her when she was a child.

Joann Kelly – her real name – reveals in the documentary “R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey”, released this Friday, that she was sexually assaulted by her father from the age of eight. “I just remember waking up to him touching me. And I didn’t know what to do, so I just lay there and pretended to be asleep,” the young woman confides. “He was everything to me. For a long time, I didn’t want to believe that it had happened,” she says.

Complaint filed

Due to the statute of limitations, no action could be taken against R. Kelly following Buku Abi’s complaint.

In 2022, R. Kelly was convicted of operating a “scheme” of sexual exploitation of young people, including minors, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In 2023, he was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for child pornography. This sentence was confirmed on appeal in 2024.