R. Kelly's world has been crumbling ever since Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly aired in 2019. Since then, the singer has been facing financial and legal problems while the people closest to him began to distance themselves. He's not only facing charges in Chicago but the case of R. Kelly has crossed interstate lines as he's also facing federal charges in New York and state charges in Minnesota.
Kelly is currently incarcerated in Chicago but it appears as though his fear of flying has prevented him from physically appearing in court in New York and Minnesota. Appearing in a federal Brooklyn courtroom via video chat, the judge in the case revealed that the scheduled trial date has been pushed back. According to PageSix, Judge Ann Donnelly revealed that they will need to get hundreds of potential jurors for the case. Kelly's trial was supposed to start in May but because they expect to pre-screen 500 potential candidates, Donnelly pushed the case until July. Kelly's Illinois trial begins in April which Donnelly stated also played a factor.
"We need to leave enough time to get our jury in place,” the judge said.
Kelly appeared on a screen wearing a short-sleeve, orange jail top and was mainly quiet and attentive throughout the hearing. He previously appeared in the Brooklyn federal court in December where he pleaded not guilty to a bribery charge related to his marriage to Aaliyah.