R. Kelly finally conducted his first interview since his arrest on sexual abuse charges and the airing of Surviving R. Kelly docuseries. He sat down yesterday with CBS This Morning‘s Gayle King which aired this morning. And let me tell you, this is not the kind of interview you want to miss.
In the first part of a two-part interview special the singer empathetically denied any wrongdoing in regards to the allegations he had sexual relationships with underage girls and the recent charges that have been laid.
While blaming social media (the #MuteRKelly campaign) for the heightened scrutiny against him causing the termination of his record contract, he erupted in an explosive fit of anger towards King.
Please note the footage is alarming.
The singer appeared agitated at points, yelling directly at the camera and, at one point, standing up out of his chair to claim that he was being persecuted and screaming, “I’m trying to have a relationship with my kids! And I can’t do it! Y’all just don’t want to believe the truth! You don’t want to believe it!” He also appeared to be aggressively standing over King in a demeaning fashion that did not sit well with viewers.
When she asked Kelly if he had done anything illegal, Kelly replied, “absolutely not” and then listed the allegations against him:
“Got little girls trapped in the basement, helicopters over my house trying to rescue someone that doesn’t need rescuing because they’re not in my house. Handcuffing people, starving people. I have a harem, what you call it – a cult. I don’t even really know what a cult is. But I know I don’t have one.”
He also gave his opinion on the docuseries created to “expose” him. “Everybody says something bad about me. Nobody said nothin’ good. They was describing Lucifer. I’m not Lucifer. I’m a man. I make mistakes, but I’m not a devil, and by no means am I a monster.”
I’m pretty sure these allegations and facts we’ve been learning about really do mean he’s a monster, but that’s none of our business.
When King pressed whether Kelly is an older man who loves younger women, Kelly responded, “I’m an older man that loves ALL women.”
Additionally, he also claimed that the parents of his current girlfriends sold their daughters to him.
“What kind of father, what kind of mother, would sell their daughter to a man,” Kelly said. “How come it was okay for me to see them until they wasn’t getting no money from me.”
What I heard from that claim was that he confirmed he engaged in human trafficking, as did everyone else, which sent the internet in even more of a frenzy.
In the most “normal” part of the interview he also addressed his current relationship with his rumored girlfriends, 23-year-old Joycelyn Savage and 21-year-old Azriel Clary, and what he looks at when he’s looking for love.
Their parents strongly believe the singer has brainwashed their daughters and are seeking action of their own. The parents responded to Kelly’s claims in a statement via Michael Avenatti:
CBS This Morning also spoke to Clary and Savage in a separate interview with King that will appear on Friday’s show.
Kelly’s daughter also released a statement against her father and the harsh backlash she too has been facing as a result:
Many on social media strongly believe that R. Kelly is putting up a front and acting to gain sympathy or make him appear more innocent than he is.
In another moment that made us laugh out loud in disbelief by how dumb this man is, the singer also admitted he needed help because he has a big heart. This had us rolling!
All in all, many descried the interview to be similar to Brett Kavanaugh’s infamous interview. This is another case of when the perpetrator plays the victim, and we all know how the result should be.
As for the wonderful Gayle King, I don’t know how she remained so calm, professional and focused during this bizarre and unprofessional (on his part) interview. She deserves an Emmy for sure!
For the full interview, please see here.
More from the R. Kelly interview will air on Thursday’s show, while Clary and Savage’s interview with King will appear on Friday’s show. So stay tuned for more updates to come.
Featured image via Allgamenab at English Wikipedia / Public domain
