In 2009, Andrea Kelly finalized her divorce from Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly. In June 2017, after reading a harrowing Buzzfeed report on Kelly's dubious conduct, Andrea felt compelled to come forward with her own reflections. Now, Andrea Kelly has sat down with the ladies of The View for an emotional interview, in which she opens up about her experience being married to the controversial singer.
Explaining what prompted her to finally speak out, Andrea explains that she was touched by the plight of another alleged victim. "It was seeing a young lady on another talk show, and some of the things she had described in detail, I had been through — I mean, verbatim,” she explains. “And it was just something about that that pierced my spirit, that I was like, ‘If no one else is going to speak up for her, if no one else is going to believe her, at least she knows that I do.’”
She proceeds to reveal how R. Kelly physically attacked her in the back of a Hummer, prompting her to fear for her life. "I just remember sitting in the back of the Hummer and it got blue,” Andrea shares. “And I just thought, oh my God, I’m gonna die in the back of this Hummer. And he’s gonna drive off with my body in the back seat, and nobody’s gonna know.” She also explains how he once tied her up, prompting her to actually mount an escape once Kelly fell asleep. “Me being a dancer, I’m like, ‘If I keep moving my legs, it’s eventually gonna make this loose. And if I can get my legs loose, I can get my arms loose. I finally did and got away.”
While admits she should have ended the marriage sooner, she explains that words from her daughter ultimately served as the catalyst for her decision. “We were looking at pictures, and the long and short of it is, he was being belligerent with me,” Andrea reveals. “And my daughter goes, ‘Daddy, why are you being mean to my mom? Why are you talking to her that way?’ And it was like a light went off for me, because I knew in that moment, if you stay, and she ends up with a man like him, and you tell her to leave, she’s gonna say, ‘But why would I? You stayed with my dad all those years.’ So I knew I had to be a living example for my daughter.” After that, she knew what needed to be done.
Though allegations against R. Kelly have been mounting with increased momentum, the singer has openly defended his honor in a nineteen-minute song, in which the singer basically takes the stand in a moment of self-representation. It should be noted that Kells still has a small army of loyalists, who believe a "witch-hunt" of sorts is underway. Either way, it's hard to deny the disturbing nature of these allegations, and hearing Andrea Kelly's first-hand account of his behavior on such a public platform will surely send R. Kelly retreating to the closet from whence he came.
Be sure to watch the full interview below.
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