In a heartbreaking admission, R. Kelly’s daughter, Buku Abi, reveals she is a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her own father.
In the new documentary “Karma: A Daughter’s Journey,” which premiered this Friday on the TVEI Streaming Network, the 26-year-old alleged that she was abused by the singer as a child. The incident, which occurred when she was just 10 years old, was first reported to her mother, Andrea Kelly, in 2009.
Abi, who was born Joann Kelly, chose not to go into specifics about the alleged abuse she experienced but expressed, “He was my everything,” when speaking of her father. She continued, “For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe that it happened. I didn’t know that even if he was a bad person that he would do something to me.” She reflected on her fear, saying, “I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom.”
She added, “I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life and changed who I was as a person and changed the sparkle I had and the light I used to carry.” Abi recalled, “After I told my mom, I didn’t go over there anymore; my brother [Robert] and sister [Jaah], we didn’t go over there anymore. And even up until now, I struggle with it a lot.”
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As previously reported, R. Kelly is currently in prison due to his conviction on multiple charges related to sexual abuse and racketeering. A few years ago, he was found guilty of leading a criminal enterprise that involved the systematic abuse of young women and girls. This included charges of sexual exploitation, bribery, and sex trafficking. The conviction came after years of allegations against him, accompanied by extensive testimony from survivors about the manipulation and control he exerted over them. These crimes, which stemmed from a pattern of misconduct over decades, resulted in a lengthy prison sentence, underscoring the serious nature of the charges and the devastating impact of his actions on the victims.
Buku believes prison is a “well-suited place” for the 57-year-old disgraced singer.
“R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey” is currently streaming on the TVEI Streaming Network.