R. Kelly is crying and denying any and all sexual abuse allegations against him in an explosive interview with Gayle King.
The disgraced R&B star sat down with the CBS News anchor in his first interview since his arrest earlier last month, when he surrendered to Chicago authorities after being charged with ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse, spanning at least two decades. The case involves four alleged victims, at least three of whom were younger than 17.
Related: Everything We Know About R. Kelly’s Case!
He plead not guilty to all charges, and was released from jail after a $100K bond — just ten percent of his $1 million dollar bail — was posted.
Speaking to the CBS This Morning host for his interview, which aired in full on Wednesday, the 52-year-old reached dog-whistling notes as he broke down, stood up, and cried that the allegations being hurled at him were “all lies.” At one point during the interview, Kelly became so heated that King’s cohosts said they were concerned for her safety.
When asked if he’s ever held anyone against their will, the Grammy winner screamed in eight octaves that the idea he’s holding anyone captive is “stupid,” and that he’s now “fighting for [his] f**king life.” Watch the very emotional moment (below).
“Stop it. You all quit playing! Quit playing! I didn't do this stuff! This is not me! I'm fighting for my f***ing life! Y'all killing me with this sh*t!" @RKelly told @GayleKing, standing up. "I gave you 30 years of my f***ing career!"https://t.co/u4AENVJQsc pic.twitter.com/jLF7l8etYh
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 6, 2019
During less heated moments, Kelly claimed he never had sex with anyone under the age of 17. When asked if all the women hurling allegations against him were “lying,” the singer said, “Absolutely.”
Although he believes people should still buy his music, Kelly acknowledged that “a lot of them may not,” adding:
“I’m not really fighting for my career here — I’m fighting for my rights and I’m fighting to have a relationship with my kids, more than anything because I missed a lot of years of their life. They love me, I love them.”
When King asked if he had ever done anything he regretted with women, Kelly replied:
“Lots of things wrong when it comes to women that I apologize, but I apologized in those relationships at the time that I was in the relationship, OK?”
As for the allegations made against him in Lifetime‘s Surviving R. Kelly docuseries, the controversial artist explained:
“If you really look at that documentary, which I’m sure you have… everybody says something bad about me. Nobody said nothing good. They were describing Lucifer. I’m not Lucifer. I’m a man. I make mistakes, but I’m not a devil, and by no means am I a monster.”
The parents of the two young women who live with Kelly in his Chicago home — 23-year-old Joycelyn Savage and 21-year-old Azriel Clary — beg to differ. As alleged in Surviving R. Kelly, both sets of parents believe Kelly has brainwashed their daughters into being a part of his alleged sex cult.
But when speaking to King, Kelly alleged that both Savage and Clary were handed to him at his concerts by their parents in hopes of them working together. Watch him explain the situation (below):
Kelly also denied that being a victim of sexual abuse as a young child had affected him as an adult — except for when he makes his music. He explained:
“It hasn’t affected me at all [he immediately reverses himself], it has affected me in this way: anything I’ve been through or struggles I’ve had in the past has affected my music.”
In 2008, the R&B star was acquitted of child pornography charges.
Following his arrest, he was required to surrender his passport and to not have contact with anyone under 18. If the musician is convicted on all 10 counts, he could possibly face up to 70 years behind bars.
Additional segments will air on Thursday and Friday as the show sits down with Savage and Clary, who, in a teaser, claim that their parents’ allegations are “all lies for money.”
In the meantime, watch more of Kelly’s explosive interview (below).
[Image via CBS Evening News/YouTube.]
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