Current:Home > MarketsR. Kelly's Daughter Joann Kelly to Share a "Heartbreaking Secret" in Upcoming Documentary -Prime Capital Blueprint
R. Kelly's Daughter Joann Kelly to Share a "Heartbreaking Secret" in Upcoming Documentary
View
Date:2025-04-16 17:36:20
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! (5)
Related
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Clandestine burial pits, bones and children's notebooks found in Mexico City, searchers say
- Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
- Khloe Kardashian Reacts to Comment Suggesting She Should Be a Lesbian
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- 'Indiana is the new Hollywood:' Caitlin Clark draws a crowd. Fever teammates embrace it
- US loosens some electric vehicle battery rules, potentially making more EVs eligible for tax credits
- Marijuana backers eye proposed federal regulatory change as an aid to legalizing pot in more states
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- In a first, an orangutan is seen using a medicinal plant to treat injury
Ranking
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Avoid boring tasks and save time with AI and chatbots: Here's how
- Maui suing cellphone carriers over alerts it says people never got about deadly wildfires
- Slain Charlotte officer remembered as hard-charging cop with soft heart for his family
- Trump's 'stop
- A judge is forcing Hawaii to give wildfire investigation documents to lawyers handling lawsuits
- Bryan Kohberger's lawyer claims prosecution has withheld the audio of key video evidence in Idaho murders case
- Russell Specialty Books has everything you'd want in a bookstore, even two pet beagles
Recommendation
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
Loss and Damage Meeting Shows Signs of Giving Developing Countries a Bigger Voice and Easier Access to Aid
Who won Deion Sanders' social media battles this week? He did, according to viewership
Flowers, candles, silence as Serbia marks the 1st anniversary of mass shooting at a Belgrade school
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
Arizona GOP wins state high court appeal of sanctions for 2020 election challenge
What is Sidechat? The controversial app students have used amid campus protests, explained
Kate Hudson makes debut TV performance on 'Tonight Show,' explains foray into music: Watch
Like
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- After top betting choices Fierceness and Sierra Leone, it’s wide open for the 150th Kentucky Derby
- Caitlin Clark to the Olympics, Aces will win third title: 10 bold predictions for the 2024 WNBA season