R. Kelly's daughter accuses singer of sexually abusing her as a child: 'I was too scared to tell'

In a new documentary for the TVEI Streaming Network, R. Kelly's daughter, Buku Abi (aka Joann Kelly), claims the imprisoned musician sexually molested her as a youngster.

Buku Abi, R. Kelly.

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"He was my everything. For a long time, I refused to accept it had actually happened. Buku Abi, a sorrowful character in R. Kelly's Karma: A Daughter's Journey, expresses her surprise that even a wicked person might hurt her. "I was too scared to tell anyone." "I was too scared to tell my mother."

Abi's secret narrative is exposed in the two-part documentary, which includes poignant interviews with her siblings, Jaah and Robert Kelly Jr., as well as their mother, Drea Kelly. "He did that to me. But you didn't have to do that to my damn children," his ex-wife claims.

"I truly believe that one moment changed my entire life, transformed who I was as a person, and altered the sparkle and brightness I used to carry. "After I told my mom, I stopped going over there," Abi tells People. "My brother [Robert] and sister [Jaah] stopped going over there. And I still struggle with it a lot."

"Mr. Kelly vehemently denies these allegations," she told People. "His ex-wife made the same allegation years ago, which was investigated by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and found to be unfounded..." And the 'filmmakers,' whomever they are, did not contact Mr. Kelly or his staff to allow him to rebut these derogatory allegations."

Kelly, an R&B musician best known for his song "I Believe I Can Fly," was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021, following decades of dodging criminal accountability for multiple claims of wrongdoing with young women and children.

Public censure and his prosecution did not occur until a highly watched docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, helped make his case a symbol of the #MeToo era and gave voice to victims who wondered whether their tales had previously been dismissed because they were black women.

The first two episodes of R. Kelly's Karma: A Daughter's Journey are available on the TVEI Streaming Network.