UPDATED 10:41 p.m. ET:R. Kelly's Chicago attorney has brushed the abuse claims made on Surviving R. Kelly as "another round of stories" being used to "fill reality TV time," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
See original story below.
R. Kelly is reportedly under criminal investigation. According to multiple outlets, the Fulton County District Attorney's office is looking into sexual abuse allegations levied against the disgraced singer. Authorities have reportedly reached out to multiple women who are involved in the scandal, including his alleged hostage Joycelyn Savage.
Insiders say investigators have ordered Savage to answer questions regarding her relationship with Kelly. The 23-year-old woman has been living with the entertainer for the past several years; her family claims she has been brainwashed and is prohibited from leaving Kelly's residence or having unsupervised contact with the outside world. Savage has denied the allegations, insisting she wasn't being held against her will.
The Blastreports that the investigation was launched over the past several days, following the broadcast of Surviving R. Kelly—a six-part, three-night docuseries focused on the artist's history of alleged sexual abuse. A former employee of Kelly appeared in the special, suggesting Kelly likely scripted Savage's denial.
"When the Savages first came out, talking about Joycelyn, R. Kelly had meetings to strategize to fix the situation," the anonymous man said. "The first thing was to put Joycelyn in front of the camera on TMZ, which is something he ordinarily would not have done. ... As far as the video Joycelyn Savage made, I would say that it was scripted, because Robert does not allow those girls to say anything that he has not told them to say."
TMZ reports investigators have also reached out to Asante McGee, a woman who allegedly escaped Kelly's Georgia home and is now calling on the singer to take a live polygraph test. McGee was subsequently targeted in a now-deleted Facebook page called Surviving Lies, which aimed to "expose" and discredit his accusers one at a time.
Insiders say Kelly could be slapped with multiple charges, including false imprisonment. The Blast reports investigators have already spoken to at least one of Kelly's alleged victims.
Chicago prosecutors held a press conference Tuesday late afternoon to address the fallout from the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries. Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx urged any victims to come forward, insisting justice couldn't be served without cooperation from those who experienced abuse at the hands of Kelly.
"I should stress that it takes the courage to relive [...] trauma by telling your story of sexual victimization, but we rely heavily on victim accounts and witness statements to prosecute cases involving sexual assault and domestic violence," she said. "I'm here today to encourage victims of sexual assault or domestic violence related to these allegations to please get in touch with our office."
Foxx then instructed victims to call the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Division at 773-674-6492.
The attorney said her office is not in contact with Fulton County authorities in regards to the Kelly allegations; however, she said her office is in contact with people who have information about claims made in Cook County. Foxx also said they have received calls from concerned families who say their relatives have been contacted by Kelly over the last several years, but her team has yet to launch an official investigation.
"I understand that fear. As a survivor of sexual assault, myself, the fear and the trauma of coming and sharing your story—not just with one individual, not just with one prosecutor—the notion of having to come and publicly make allegations is incredibly daunting," Foxx said. "[...] We need actual witnesses and victims to have the courage to tell their stories. If they have concerns about further victimization of others, it becomes necessary to have the courage to come forward and tell what happened. We cannot do anything related to these allegations without the cooperation of these victims."
Watch the press conference below.
Stay tuned as the story develops.
