Gayle King Recounts Wild R. Kelly Interview: "I Couldn't Make Any Sudden Movements"

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Singer R. Kelly performs at the "18th Annual Soul Train Music Awards" at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on March 20, 2004 in Los Angeles, California
Gayle King sits down with Desus & Mero for an in-depth interview.

Gayle King's a legend in her own right but who knew she'd ever become a meme? She surely didn't. In a recent interview with Desus & Mero, King recounted her volatile interview with R. Kelly this year ahead of his arrest that sparked numerous memes and gifs across the internet. Mero asked King about how she handled the interview where R. Kelly was "wildin' the fuck out." She explained that she didn't think that he was going to hurt her intentionally but she did admit there was a chance she felt that she'd get caught in the middle of it.

"I never thought that he was going to hurt me, guys," he said before she motioned to R. Kelly punching his palm. "I thought he might accidentally hurt me and I was worried about that because he's, you know, you could tell that he hits hard," she continued. She then detailed that he was spitting when she talked and eventually, a drop of spit landed on her lip. Mero appropriately responded, "Oh no! Not R. Kelly's spit!"

“So I just sat there like this thinking, ‘I don’t want to move.’ If somebody does that to you, you can just very gracefully or discreetly go like that, but I knew I couldn’t make any sudden movements because he was very amped up, as you see," she said. “I really think that we were watching him having a breakdown in real time. I really do. Somebody said, 'Gayle, he played you. He was just faking.' I do not think that was a fake. I don't."

On the topic of becoming a meme, King did admit that she never thought she'd see the day where she'd become one. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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