R. Kelly Back In Jail After Failing To Pay $161K Child Support To Ex-Wife Drea Kelly

R. Kelly has been taken into custody yet again following his failure to pay more than $160,000 in child support to his ex-wife Drea Kelly. According to Fox News, the Grammy Award-winning singer was taken into custody this afternoon and is currently being held in Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois.

It has been reported that Cook County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Sophia Ansari has released a statement to the Associated Press in reference to R. Kelly’s latest arrest. While the specific details of R. Kelly’s arrest have yet to be confirmed, multiple news outlets have reported that this is in reference to child support; not the singer’s sexual abuse case.

In the state of Illinois, failure to pay any child support amount over $20,000 results in a felony charge which is why R. Kelly has been detained again. He reportedly had a March 6 deadline to pay the outstanding child support balance, but unfortunately, he has been unable to do so.

The latest news follows a string of reports about R. Kelly’s ongoing legal issues. Last week, the singer was arrested and charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. After two days behind bars, R. Kelly was released when a close friend posted his $100,000 bail. Almost immediately after the 47-year-old Romeoville, Illinois entrepreneur was identified, she faced heightened criticism. In fact, the threats she received contributed to her decision to speak out about the situation.

Although most people assumed she paid for R. Kelly’s release with her own money, she clarified that he’d used his own money. She’d simply assisted with the bail process. R. Kelly’s fans speculate this disclosure may have opened the door for his latest arrest.

For R. Kelly, this week has been a whirlwind and the week is nowhere near over. His arrest comes just one day after his intense discussion with Gayle King of CBS Morning News. This morning the singer made headlines after the full interview aired. Many viewers were shocked to see R. Kelly nearly come completely unhinged.

During the interview, R. Kelly adamantly defended himself and, at one point, insisted he’s “fighting for his f****n’ life.” The singer addressed the charges he’s facing and the claims detailed in Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly, insisting he’s “not a devil.”

“Everybody says something bad about me. Nobody said something good. They was describing Lucifer. I’m not Lucifer. I’m a man. I made mistakes, but I’m not a devil.”

R. Kelly will likely remain in jail until he pays the $161,000 in back child support.