The past two years have put the rise and fall of R. Kelly in plain sight. The years of alleged sexual abuse finally caught up to him in a way that's inescapable. His ex-wife, Andrea Kelly, stepped forward with her own horror stories of being married to the singer that included allegations of domestic abuse.
In a clip for an upcoming episode of The Real, Andrea Kelly got in-depth about the aftermath of their relationship including the reason why she kept his last name.
"It's for the kids and for me, because I paid for my name in blood, sweat, and tears. Literally," she said. "At the end of the day, people need to realize our last names aren't car leases. It's not like at the end of the marriage, give it back," she continued. She then explained that all the women seated next to her were married.
Regardless of his actions, she said she's able to be an advocate against domestic violence and use her platform to shed light on her situation, in hopes to help others.
"It's very difficult but I also had to realize that people crucify me for the very thing they're curious about. At the end of the day, if my last name wasn't Kelly, you wouldn't be on Instagram and you wouldn't be looking me up and TMZ wouldn't be calling me," she said. "If Kelly makes 2020 call my phone. If Kelly makes me get on The View and I can talk about domestic violence awareness, I will continue to use this name."
She added, "What I do with my last name should be more important than why I kept it."
Check out the clip below.