The impact of the documentary featuring R&B singer R. Kelly’s alleged sexual abuse victims will be examined in a follow-up special to Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly.
Deadline reports that the network will air a two-hour special that discusses the impact the six-part docuseries has had on both R. Kelly and his accusers since it aired back in January. The segment will be hosted by Soledad O’Brien and will be titled Surviving R. Kelly: The Impact. The special will include music journalists, legal experts, non-profit organizations, and psychologists to discuss how the stories surrounding the documentary have changed the views of the artist. The documentary is set to air on May 4, at 10 p.m. EST.
The outlet reports that a promotional video for the special has already been shown online and through the cable network. Since Surviving R. Kelly — the documentary where several of the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer’s alleged victims recounted suffering abuse at his hands — premiered, 26 million people have tuned into the short docuseries. Just weeks after it aired, Kelly was indicted on 10 felony counts of aggravated sexual assault involving four victims spanning over a decade. The singer was arrested back in February but was released after making a $10,000 bond.
The singer’s now infamous interview with Gayle King is set to be examined more closely during the follow-up special. During the interview, King questioned the singer’s accusations that span more than two decades. The journalist also interviewed Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage, the two women who are reportedly still living with the singer. Throughout the interview, R. Kelly became hysterical as he attempted to maintain his innocence. In one scene, the singer is standing over King and screaming as she tries to ask him about his current case. The interview soon went viral online and was one of CBS: This Morning ‘s most-watched interviews. In an interview with The New York Times , King said the singer’s antics didn’t intimidate her at the time. She said that she never felt he would harm her, and she remained calm throughout the ordeal.
“The problem is when you get that out of control,” King said. “The way he was hitting his fist and the way that he was cursing, the intensity of his voice — sometimes you can’t control yourself, so I just didn’t want to get hit accidentally. So I just decided, let me just sit here very quietly, and I would look at him to let him know, I’m not getting up. I worried that if I got up, that would say to him, this is over, this interview is over, even on a subliminal level, it’s O.K. to leave.”
Surviving R. Kelly was produced by Dream Hampton, Tamra Simmons, Joel Karsberg, and Jesse Daniels for Kreativ Inc.