A Dateline special will feature a woman who claims she was sexually abused by R. Kelly when she was 16 years old. In an interview with Dateline's Andrea Canning, airing on NBC on Friday night, Tracy Sampson details an alleged sexual relationship she had with the R&B singer when she was working for Epic Records as an intern in the summer of 1999.
Sampson's appearance on Dateline marks her first television interview in which she shares her account of Kelly's alleged sexual misconduct. The network spoke with Sampson, who is now 36, just two weeks after Lifetime aired its disturbing docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, in which a number of women came forward with claims of Kelly's alleged sexual, physical and mental abuse. The docuseries also included testaments from former members of Kelly's inner-circle who claimed to have witnessed Kelly's alleged sexual misconduct towards women and young girls.
In a Dateline clip, Sampson claimed Kelly attempted to kiss her. "He asked, 'Can I kiss you?' and I was like, 'No,'" Sampson said, adding Kelly responded by asking her for a hug instead.
"And then, like, when I gave him a hug he just started kissing me," she said. "I was in love with him. I just didn't know what to do. Like, I didn't know if this was normal. I didn't know if this is how adults acted."
Sampson alleged a sexual relationship with Kelly ensued shortly after and lasted until she was 18. After ending the relationship, Sampson sued the singer for alleged sexual abuse. Although Kelly denied engaging in a sexual relationship with Sampson while she was underage, he settled the lawsuit out of court for $250,000.
Sampson won't be the only one sharing her story of Kelly's alleged abuse. Tim and Jonjelyn Savage, who have openly accused Kelly of holding their daughter Joycelyn Savage against her free will, are also featured in the Dateline special. Joycelyn Savage has denied being held captive by Kelly.
Dateline airs on NBC on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET. Although the show won't be available for live streaming, clips and highlights of Sampson's interview will likely be featured on Dateline's social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, shortly after the show airs.
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