Who has accused R Kelly of having a ‘one-man sex cult’?
THE CAREER and successes achieved by disgraced singer R Kelly are overshadowed by his legal troubles and run-ins with the law.
Several allegations were made against and he was sent to to answer for them, here's a look back at regarding his 'sex cult.'
Who is R Kelly?
Born on January 8, 1967, Robert Sylvester Kelly, known publicly as , is an singer and producer from , .
In November 1993, he released his debut studio album, 12 Play.
Since the release of 12 Play, the singer went on to distribute 13 more full-length efforts.
His biggest hits include Bump N' Grind, I Believe I Can Fly, The World's Greatest, I'm Your Angel, and Ignition (Remix).
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He has sold 100 million records worldwide and has been nicknamed the "King of R&B".
R Kelly also set up his own record label - Rockland Records - in 1998.
Despite selling millions of records internationally, reports his fortune to be an estimated negative $2million.
When was R Kelly married to Aaliyah and Andrea Lee?
The Chicago Sun-Times and Vibe claim R Kelly and his then 15-year-old protege Aaliyah were illegally married in a secret wedding ceremony on August 31, 1994.
The singers had been introduced to each other three years previously by Aaliyah's uncle.
The marriage was annulled in February 1995 at the request of the teen's family.
However, both R Kelly and Aaliyah denied the marriage even taking place and insisted their relationship was never more than friends.
In the 2019 documentary Surviving R Kelly, his backing singer Jovante Cunningham claims that she saw the star having sex with a then underage Aaliyah on a tour bus in 1994.
R Kelly married his former backup dancer Andrea Lee in 1996.
However, the couple divorced in January 2009, and the latter went on to appear in the reality TV series, Hollywood Exes.
How many children does R Kelly have?
R Kelly has three children from his marriage to Andrea, daughter Joann, son Robert Kelly Jr and transgender son Jay.
Jay was previously known as Jaya, but confirmed on social media in 2014 that despite being born female, he had identified as male from the age of "six or seven".
At the time, he said his mother had known for a year and had been extremely supportive of his decision.
He wrote in a blog: "My mom was like, 'Baby, you know I love you if you were bi, gay, lesbian, you name it and I would still love you so much.'"
What was R Kelly convicted for?
In February 2019, R Kelly was charged with ten counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
If convicted he faces three to seven years on each count, said Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly Foxx.
In May 2019, it was revealed he has been charged with 11 new counts of sex assault against a teen victim.
The claims the charges carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
On July 12, 2019, Kelly was arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking by New York cops - while still facing sexual abuse charges in Chicago.
He was cuffed by NYPD detectives and Homeland Security Investigators, law enforcement officials said.
Kelly is currently in federal custody.
Federal judges will meet to figure out how to proceed in the case that involves separate indictments in Chicago and New York and whether he is to be given bail.
New details about his alleged crimes have been outlined by prosecutors in New York, who want him kept behind bars.
According to the New York indictment, Kelly – whose real name is Robert S Kelly – is alleged to have committed sex crimes against five women, given the name Jane Doe to protect their identities.
On July 16, 2019, he was denied bail in Chicago after entering a not guilty plea to child porn charges.
On June 29, 2022, the convicted singer was sentenced to 30 years in jail for federal racketeering and sex-trafficking charges.
What has R Kelly said about the allegations against him?
The singer insisted he is innocent of the allegations that he sexually assaulted four women - including three underage girls.
He furiously dismissed the claims in his first interview after being charged in February 2019.
R Kelly agitated and banged on his chest as he exploded: “Stop it, quit playing. I didn’t do this stuff. This is not me. I’m fighting for my f***ing life.”
At one point, it appeared he needed to be physically restrained.
What are the R Kelly 'sex cult' allegations?
R Kelly has faced previous allegations of sexual misconduct.
He was acquitted in 2008 on charges of making child pornography, despite a videotape of an alleged encounter with a 14-year-old girl being shown to prosecutors.
R Kelly has denied recent claims he is "holding young women against their will" in a one-man "sex cult."
Parents reportedly told that the star was keeping six young women at his properties in Atlanta and Chicago.
It’s reported they were only allowed to use mobile phones provided by Kelly, must call him “daddy,” and could only eat, sleep or wash when he lets them.
Kelly also filmed their sexual encounters, the reports claimed.
One young woman Joycelyn Savage has said she is safe and “in a happy place” after her family alleged she was being held by him at a secret location in Atlanta.
She insisted to that she was fine but refused to answer if she was free to come and go.
Jerhonda Pace claims she had underage sex with R Kelly at the age of 16 and was "trained" to please him.
She alleges the singer would "physically harm her" and "lock her in a room for days" as punishment.
He was then accused of infecting Faith Rodgers, 19, with an STD on purpose.
She was reportedly in an eight-month relationship with him after meeting him at a gig in San Antonio, Texas, and filed the lawsuit for "willfully, deliberately and maliciously" infecting her with herpes, which Kelly denied.
He said they have left him "heartbroken" and he has criticised the media for trying to distort and destroy his legacy with claims that he sexually mistreats women.
What allegations has R Kelly's ex-girlfriend Kitti Jones made against him?
A shocking BBC Three documentary claims the star had a "sex dungeon" and “trained” a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl to be one his “pets”.
The accusations - - are from the RnB star's former girlfriend Kitti Jones.
Speaking to reporter Ben Zand, she claimed she was introduced to the girl while she was still dating Kelly between 2011 and 2013.
She said Kelly then told her he had "trained" the young teen since she was 14.
Jones said: "I saw that she was dressed like me, that she was saying the things I'd say and her mannerisms were like mine."
"That's when it clicked in my head that he had been grooming me to become one of his pets. He calls them his pets."
Jones claims she was also forced into sex with Kelly and at least 10 others in his "sex dungeon."
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What other sexual allegations have been made against the star?
The 2019 documentary features accounts of alleged female victims who waived their rights to anonymity to claim they were sexually abused, bullied into threesomes, impregnated, held prisoner, and beaten for looking at other men.
In the series, backing singer Jovante Cunningham claims that, like so many of Kelly’s young lovers, she was lured from outside her school to “hang out” at the star’s Chicago music studio where women lay on beds around the property simply waiting for him.
Another backing singer, Lizzette Martinez, met R Kelly when she was 17.
After making one of his regular visits to the mall to scout for young girls, she says he took a shine to her.
R Kelly's collaborator Lovell Jones alleged his taste in younger women was "common knowledge in the camp."
He said the singer would ask him to find girls that "looked young" at after-show parties.