R. Kelly’s Daughter Says She Was Sexually Abused by Him When She Was a Child: “Scared to Tell Mom..."

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of child abuse that some readers may find distressing.

Buku Abi, the daughter of Robert Kelly, recently made shocking accusations against her father. She has disclosed that R. Kelly sexually abused her when she was a child. However, Kelly's lawyer refuted these accusations later. The singer is currently serving a prison sentence for several serious charges. Abi made the claims in the two-part documentary- R. Kelly's Karma: A Daughter's Journey, which features candid and heartbreaking conversations with the Kelly family.

In a short clip from the documentary, Abi said, “He was my everything. For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe that it happened. I didn’t know that even if he was a bad person he would do something to me. I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom." In the first episode, she doesn't provide details about the alleged abuse but mentions that prison is the right place for her dad. Abi added, "I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life and changed who I was as a person and changed the sparkle I had and the light I used to carry."

She further said, “After I told my mom, I didn’t go over there anymore; my brother [Robert] and sister [Jaah], we didn’t go over there anymore. And even up until now, I struggle with it a lot.” As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Kelly's wife, Drea Kelly said, “What he did to me, he did to me. But you didn’t have to do it to my damn kids." In the second episode, the controversial singer’s daughter claimed that she was only eight or nine years old when she allegedly faced sexual abuse. She said, “I just remember waking up to him touching me. And I didn’t know what to do, so I just kind of laid there, and I pretended to be asleep.”

Speaking about the police complaint filed by her against Kelly, she said, "They couldn’t prosecute him because I waited too long. So at that point in my life, I felt like I said something for nothing." However, Robert's attorney Jennifer Bonjean denied the allegations and said, "Mr. Kelly vehemently denies these allegations. His ex-wife made the same allegation years ago, and it was investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and was unfounded... And the 'filmmakers,' whoever they are, did not reach out to Mr. Kelly or his team to even allow him to deny these hurtful claims."

Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Chicago in February last year for child pornography and enticing minors. He was later given a 30-year imprisonment for serious charges like sex trafficking and racketeering in New York. According to People Magazine, he is currently serving 19 years of both sentences concurrently and is anticipated to be eligible for release in 2045. While Abi prepares to welcome her child, the documentary R. Kelly's Karma: A Daughter’s Journey looks at how his family manages life following his arrest.

If you know of any children who are being subjected to abuse, please contact The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 422-4453