On Tuesday, an ex-employee of R. Kelly’s testified that the singer once had his girlfriends fight one another to punish them for their perceived misbehaving at his birthday party.
This incident is alleged to have happened after Kelly caught his partners twerking while he was celebrating the day of his birth at his Chicago studio back in January 2016.
The witness, Suzette Mayweather, who spent more than a year as an assistant for Kelly, said that the women involved had been twerking “for cake” in what was apparently an attempt to get a piece of said dessert.
“He had to have them get on each other. I think they were fighting,” Mayweather said, according to The New York Daily News.
Mayweather says she did not actually see the fight, but states that she heard a commotion that included laughing, screaming, and thumping going on in the floor above her at the studio.
“He didn’t like an incident where they were twerking for cake,” she said.
Mayweather is part of a group of employees who worked for Kelly. Her testimony comes a day after a separate witness says Kelly surprised a visitor by making a naked woman come out from under a boxing ring to provide oral sex after Kelly snapped his fingers.
The NYDN also reports that Mayweather said Kelly was a terrible boss who would “fine” his employees by docking their pay.
During her time on the stand Tuesday, Mayweather says Kelly once called her around 2 a.m. demanding that she get him sweet potato pie. She says she used an Uber to go to Walmart, where she says “I purchased all of the Patti LaBelle’s Sweet Potato Pie.”
She said she brought the desserts back to the studio and told Kelly that he likely “thought I was going to fail your test.”
After initially being happy about it, Mayweather says Kelly’s mood shifted when he learned that Mayweather had violated the rules established by him by talking to one of his girlfriends.
“He did become angry,” said Mayweather. “This particular incident was the first time ever — I’m sorry — it was the first time that I’d ever seen Rob really upset. … It wasn’t the tone, it was the look in his eyes.”
Mayweather’s recollection of events included allegations that Kelly would force girls to stay in rooms for extended periods of time, and that they needed his permission to eat, use the bathroom, or get off of tour buses. Related to the pie incident, one of Kelly’s alleged rules was that no one could speak to his girlfriend’s regarding his relationship with them, according to Mayweather.
Mayweather claims the she and Kelly got into an argument, and that she ended up lying about who started the conversation between she and the girlfriend because she “feared” for the girl “in terms of what the repercussions would be.”
According to The Daily Beast, Mayweather is the fourth employee of Kelly’s to take the stand against him. Thus far all of his employees have provided details on firm rules that Kelly had for his girlfriends when they were in his presence.
Prosecutors allege Kelly abused at least six women and girls. Charges against him include racketeering and eight counts of violating an interstate anti-sex trafficking law.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
