Highlights
R. Kelly's children have been affected by their father's crimes.
-
R. Kelly's youngest child, Robert Kelly Jr., has sought to stay out of the public eye.
R. Kelly's eldest child, Joann Kelly, has spoken out about her father's crimes.
After years of being one of the biggest stars in R&B music, R. Kelly was rich and had millions of fans. All that changed, however, once several women came forward to publicly reveal they'd been mistreated by R. Kelly. After a lengthy investigation, R. Kelly wound up standing trial for a series of crimes.
To the surprise of some observers, celebrities have defended R. Kelly in the past, and he had supporters at his trial. Still, R. Kelly was convicted and is now serving a lengthy prison sentence. That fact has some observers wondering how the singer's kids feel about R. Kelly's fall from grace.
Have R. Kelly's Children Spoken Out About His Crimes?
After years as one of his generation's most successful singers, many people began to learn the disturbing truth about R. Kelly. After the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly shocked viewers all over the world, the singer was put on trial twice for his disturbing crimes.
During R. Kelly's trials, he was convicted of racketeering and several crimes relating to his disgusting treatment of minors. Between the two trials, R. Kelly was sentenced to thirty years and twenty years with the sentences to run concurrently.
Given what has been revealed about R. Kelly's crimes, most people celebrated his convictions and sentences. However, what some people may not understand is that R. Kelly being held responsible doesn't mean his victims are done suffering.
After R. Kelly was sentenced to decades in prison, many observers spoke out. Several of R. Kelly's victims also notably released statements. What some people may not know is whether R. Kelly's three children commented on their father's crimes and fate.
Born in the year 2000, R. Kelly's middle child came out as a transgender man in a 2014 Instagram post. Around that time, R. Kelly was asked to comment on his son's transition and seemed to imply it was a rumor. However, R. Kelly said of his children at that time, "They're your kids, you gotta support them."
If anyone thought that statement meant that R. Kelly would maintain a good relationship with his kids, that isn't what happened. Even before R. Kelly was sentenced to prison, his three children revealed they had no relationship with him.
After a period of Jay Kelly speaking publicly about his transition, he has stepped away from the public eye. Silent for years now, Jay Kelly even deleted his Instagram. However, Jay Kelly came close to addressing his father's crimes in 2019. That year, Jay Kelly announced plans to release a diss track about his father and his crimes that never came.
When R. Kelly's youngest child was born in 2002, the singer gave the child his own name. Similar to his father he shares a name with Robert Kelly Jr. has shown an interest in music in the past. Aside from that, however, very little is known about R. Kelly's youngest child.
After creating an Instagram account in 2016, Robert Kelly Jr. deleted it. Since then, R. Kelly's youngest has seemingly sought to stay out of the public eye. As a part of that, Robert Kelly Jr. didn't speak out after his father's criminal convictions.
The eldest of R. Kelly's children, Joanne Kelly was born in 1998 and her name is very meaningful for her celebrity father. Named after R. Kelly's mother who passed away, Joann Kelly has also gone by Buku Abi.
Unlike her younger siblings, Joann Kelly has directly spoken out about her father's crimes. In June 2022, Joann Kelly used social media to react to her father's crimes in the form of Instagram stories.
From the start, Joann Kelly assured her followers that she is completely aware of the kind of person her father is. "The same monster you all are confronting me about is my father. I am well aware of who and what he is. I grew up in that house."
From there, Joann Kelly explained why she has mostly remained silent about her father's disturbing deeds. In all likelihood, Joann Kelly's younger siblings have similar reasons to not address R. Kelly's heinous crimes.
"My choice to not speak on him and what he does is for peace of mind. My emotional state. And for MY healing. I had to do and move in a manner that is best for me."
Finally, Joann Kelly finished addressing her father's crimes by expressing her sympathies for R. Kelly's victims. "I pray for all the families & woman who have been affected by my father's actions. Trust, I have been deeply affected by all of this."
What Has R. Kelly's Ex-Wife Said About His Crimes?
After R. Kelly and Aaliyah's short-lived marriage was annulled by her parents, he went on to tie the knot in 1996. In 2009, R. Kelly and Andrea "Drea" Kelly got divorced after the former couple welcomed their three children into the world.
Since their divorce, Drea Kelly has repeatedly spoken out about suffering abuse at R. Kelly's hand. During a 2018 appearance on The View, Drea Kelly even revealed that the abuse she suffered got so bad that she feared for her life.
In addition to revealing what she has gone through. Drea Kelly has expressed empathy for his other victims. During an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Drea Kelly also expressed her sadness that her kids will have their father's crimes follow them forever.
"My heart definitely goes out to the survivors and the courage that it takes to even come forward and tell the story. But my heart breaks as a mother, because this is now the legacy that my children will have to deal with and their children's children,"
Drea Kelly continued, "You cannot walk away from your bloodline. I have the ability to separate and kind of distance myself from it, but his blood runs through my children's veins. It's a part of their DNA. They can't escape it even if they wanted to, so it's very difficult for me to sit in that position."
Comments