R. Kelly may be facing a criminal investigation following Lifetime's six-part docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, according to a TMZ report on Tuesday. The series aired from Thursday to Saturday.
The show included interviews of 50 individuals, including women who claimed to have suffered from Kelly's alleged mental, physical and sexual abuse. Family members of young women who were allegedly held captive at Kelly's properties—reportedly unable to speak or see their relatives, allegedly forced to engage in sexual acts and obey mundane commands—also shared their accounts of the singer. Various former members of Kelly's inner circle, family, music industry associates and psychologist weighing in on the trauma linked to Kelly's style of alleged abuse were also featured in the three-night series.
According to TMZ, investigators from Fulton County District Attorney's Office in Georgia contacted a number of Kelly's alleged victims after Lifetime aired the special. Asante McGee, one of the women who detailed Kelly's alleged abuse against her on the show, confirmed to TMZ she was contacted by authorities while the attorney for the family of another alleged Kelly captive, Joycelyn Savage, also confirmed speaking with investigators.
BREAKING: Fulton County DA has begun new interviews with witnesses in R. Kelly probe, sources tell @cbs46 Bulldog.
— Jonathan Carlson (@TVreporter) January 8, 2019
Gerald Griggs, Savage's family attorney, also confirmed to Chicago Sun-Times that her relatives have spoken with authorities in light of the docuseries. "Her family is encouraged by the investigation, but they will be happy once they get to see their daughter," Griggs said.
Savage previously denied allegations that Kelly kept her against her will, despite claims made by her family, who have not seen her in more than two years.
It is unclear if investigators have had contact with Kelly or his attorneys.
Those witnesses were previously unknown, until the docu-series aired. Witnesses and/or their attorneys were approached shortly after the series finished airing, sources tells me @cbs46
— Jonathan Carlson (@TVreporter) January 8, 2019
This won't be the first time Kelly faced legal trouble regarding his alleged sexual misconduct.
The R&B singer married late singer Aaliyah Haughton while she was 15 and he was 27 in 1994. Their marriage was annulled a year later.
Throughout the 2000s, various women came forward with lawsuits against the singer, claiming they had sexual relationships with him while being underage. However, the most infamous Kelly scandal is arguably the 2002 videotape, in which the 52-year-old singer was filmed urinating on and having sex with a young girl believed to be 14 at the time.
Kelly stood trial on 14 charges of child pornography in 2008 but was found not guilty by jurors after one-day of deliberations. Kelly maintains his innocence against all sexual misconduct claims against him.
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