R Kelly is never going to reclaim his pop culture status. He was controversial yet beloved for the first three decades of his career. Now, the singer is serving a 30 year prison stint for child sexual abuse. R Kelly is someone that other celebrities and programs have tried to distance themselves from since he was found guilty. Saturday Night Live decided to make a joke at the singer's expense during its recent 50th anniversary special. Kelly's lawyer, however, was not amused. Jennifer Bonjean, took the comedy series to task.
Bonjean called out Saturday Night Live for its holier than thou approach to its past. "Rather arrogant that SNL sees it as their job to decide, belatedly, who should and should not be canceled," the lawyer said to TMZ. She also noted that other "problematic" celebrities from recent years were left off the list. She did not mention these celebs by name, though. SNL aired an "In Memoriam" montage featuring some of the guests who have gone on to be convicted of crimes or disgraced. Jared Fogle, Diddy, Robert Blake and OJ Simpson were among the most notable who appeared. Then, there was R Kelly.
When Did R Kelly Perform On Saturday Night Live?
The singer was shown performing alongside Lady Gaga during a 2013 appearance on SNL. The editors even included a brief clip of Diddy referencing Kelly three years earlier. "Don't judge a book by it's cover," the mogul stated. "My man is like R Kelly." Ironically, Kelly's former collaborator, Gaga, was involved in the 50th anniversary festivities. The pop superstar previously denounced R Kelly in a lengthy Instagram post in 2019. "I will not be working with him again," Lady Gaga wrote. "I’m sorry, both for my poor judgement when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner. I love you."
It has been a tough week for R Kelly. Jennifer Bonjean attempted to appeal the singer's 30 year sentence before the court. Ultimately, however, the appeal was rejected. The court determined that evidence given and the testimony provided by Kelly's accusers held up. Bonjean, meanwhile, felt that R Kelly's accusers were given incentive to condemn the singer. "This was not restitution," she told reporters. "This was an effort by the government to unfairly enrich government witnesses for their testimony."
[via]
