R. Kelly’s daughter, Joanne Kelly, is featured in the upcoming documentary, “R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey,” where she revealed that she has no intention of introducing her future son to his grandfather.
“If my son asks questions, I’m going to be as truthful as possible. And I will not be taking my son to prison to meet his grandfather,” Joanne, who appears pregnant in the trailer, said in the clip released on Sunday.
Reflecting on her relationship with her father, the expectant mom looked back on her childhood with the famous parent, 57, but admitted they are no longer close after his conviction on racketeering and sex-trafficking charges in New York in September 2021.
“For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe it happened. I didn’t think that, even if he was a bad person, he would do something like that to me,” she said of the “I’m a Flirt” singer, who is currently serving a 30-year sentence at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.
“Nobody wants to be the child of a father who is out here hurting women and children. He knows exactly why we can’t have the relationship we would have liked to have with him. I really feel like that one moment completely changed my whole life,” Joanne continued, referring to her father’s conviction.
Joanne’s mother, Drea Kelly, who was married to the singer from 1996 to 2009, also spoke in the documentary. She criticized R. Kelly for not being a present father to their children.
“Just because you’re not a good husband doesn’t mean you can’t be a good father. And the fact that he didn’t even try,” said Drea, 50. “What he did to me, he did to me. But you didn’t have to do it to my damn kids.”
The documentary will also feature Joanne’s siblings, Jaah Kelly and Robert Kelly Jr.
In addition to his 30-year sentence, the Grammy-winning singer was convicted on six counts of child sex crimes, including producing child pornography and enticing a minor into sexual activity. In February 2023, he was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison, with 19 of those to be served concurrently with his New York sentence.
“R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey” premieres on the Tvei Network on October 11.
