R Kelly's daughter voices support for accusers, calls dad a monster

The oldest daughter of R Kelly and his ex-wife Andrea is speaking out for the first time since multiple women made accusations of rape and abuse against the accused pedophile on the Lifetime docuseries Surviving R Kelly.

In a lengthy and emotional post that was shared on her page, 20-year-old Joann Kelly explained why she has remained silent about the allegations being made about her father while showing her support for the singer’s alleged victims.

‘The same monster you all confronting me about is my father.I am well aware of who and what he is. I grew up in that house,’ wrote Joann, who performs under the name Buku Abi. 

She then explained her silence by stating: ‘My choice to not speak on him and what he does is for peace of mind. My emotional state.And for MY healing.

‘I had to do and move in a manner that is Best Private University for me.’

Joann’s mother Andrea, who participated in the Lifetime series, filed a restraining order against her ex in 2005 following an altercation.

One year later she filed for divorce, and in 2009 the split was finalized, at which point she claims Kelly chose not to be a part of his children’s lives.

Scroll down for video 

‘Before I start I just want it to be known that I am speaking from the heart, nothing I say or do not say is to hurt any party affected by this,‘ wrote Joann at the start of her post.

‘I just want you all to understand that devastated is an understatement for all that  I feel currently.’ 

She later noted: ‘I pray for all the families & woman who have been affected by my father’s actions.Trust, I have been deeply affected by all of this.’ 

Joann went on to say that she is not fond of discussing her personal life in a public forum, but felt that she had no choice.

She explained that it ‘has been years’ since she or her siblings had any contact with the singer, and that they and her mother Andrea ‘would never condone, support or be a part of anything negative that [Kelly] does.’

At the end of her message, she took time to thank those people who showed their support for the family during this difficult time. 

Andrea said her relationship with Kelly began to disintegrate after the release of the sex tape that allegedly featured the singer and an underage girl.

That resulted in Kelly’s arrest on charges of child pornography and his subsequent trial in 2008.

The Lifetime series featured interviews with a number of the women who were involved in the scandal, including the person who stole the videotape from Kelly’s library and got it in the hands of a Chicago journalist. 

That was Lisa Van Allen, who was just 17 and believed that she was Kelly’s girlfriend at the time due to the fact that she spent all her time with him and they were having a sexual relationship.

She was one of the few victims to break free from Kelly on her own terms, and says in the episode that she started seeing the singer in a different light after he convinced her to have a threesome with another girl but did not reveal her actual age.

It was that same girl, who was just 14, that Kelly could be seen with on the tape Allen claimed to have lifted from his library. 

Allen struggled to maintain her composure while recalling the events, and at one point suddenly shuts down and begins to silently cry.

She then said: ‘I just didn’t know there was a point in time they were talking about killing me.’   

Sparkle, the singer whose career Kelly helped to launch, revealed that she first introduced the singer to the girl – who was also her niece.

She revealed how over time she went from surprised to concerned and eventually disgusted at the relationship between the singer and the young teen.  

That is why she decided to speak out against the singer and testify during his trial when others remained silent.

She even turned down an offer in the high-six figures to film herself calling a truce with Kelly, saying she cannot be bought.

At the trial, which took place in 2008, Sparkle testified under oath that the video, filmed in 2000, showed Kelly and her niece.

Allen very bravely did the same during the proceedings, which kicked off with jurors watching the tape in its entirety.

In the end, Kelly was acquitted by a jury of his peers.

And after dodging jail time Kelly allegedly began a relationship with a 15-year-old high school freshman who had been camping outside the courthouse to see the singer.

She too shared her story on the docuseries.

The series premiered Thursday on Lifetime and sheds new light on charges against the artist, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly. 

The team behind Surviving R.Kelly held dozens of interviews filmed with members of the singer’s inner circle.

In the documentary, backup singers detailed sexual relations between R. Kelly and three girls under the age of 16, including 15-year-old star Aaliyah, who died in 2001 in a plane crash.

The allegations are subject to criminal prosecution in several US states including Illinois, where R.Kelly lived as a resident of Chicago.

Aaliyah’s mother Diane Haughton called the allegations ‘fabrications’ and accused the witnesses of being ‘saboteurs of Aaliyah’s legacy.’

In the documentary, women portray R.Kelly as manipulative, violent and focused on young girls, allegedly demanding they call him ‘daddy.’

Lizzette Martinez, who met the artist at age 17 as he was approaching his thirties, says she was a victim of ‘mental and physical abuse’ during their relationship, which lasted several years.

‘He stole my life from me being abused like this,’ she said in the documentary directed and produced by filmmaker dream hampton. 

‘I don’t think he understands girls that are young how impressionable we are and how traumatic these experiences are.’

She then added: ‘They change you forever.’