R. Kelly's Daughter Speaks Out in Upcoming Documentary: 'I Will Not Take My Son to a Prison to Meet His Grandfather'

Mar. 15, 2025

Joanne Kelly; R. Kelly.Photo:Tvei Network/Youtube; Jason Kempin/Getty

Tvei Network/Youtube; Jason Kempin/Getty

R. Kelly’s daughter is speaking out about her father.Ina trailer forthe upcoming documentaryR Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, Joanne Kelly shares how theconvictions of her father on multiple sex crimes“changed my whole life” as she opens up about their broken relationship.“Nobody wants to be the child of the father that is out here hurting women and children,” says Joanne, 26, in the trailer, released on Sunday, Sept 29. “He knows exactly why we can’t have the relationship that we would have liked to have with him.”Kelly’s daughter, who appears to be pregnant in the clip, gets emotional later on in the trailer as she reflects on how she used to see her father.“He was my everything,” she says of Kelly, 57, crying. “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.”“I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life,” she says, referring to Kelly’s conviction, adding of her future child, “If my son asks questions, I’m going to be as truthful as possible. And I will not be taking my son to prison to meet his grandfather.”Kelly’s ex-wife and mother of Joanne and her siblings,Drea Kelly, also makes an appearance in the trailer in a tearful clip.“Just because you’re not a good husband, doesn’t mean you can’t be a good father. And the fact that he didn’t even try,” Drea, 50, says of Kelly. “What he did to me, he did to me. But you didn’t have to do it to my damn kids.“Joanne’s siblings, Jaah Kelly and Robert Kelly Jr., also speak out in the documentary in “raw, emotional interviews,” while “the film uncovers the dark reality of living in the shadow of one of the most notorious figures in music,” according to a synopsis.In February 2023, the disgraced R&B singer/songwriter and convicted sex offender received a20-year prison sentence on charges of child pornographyand enticement of minors for sex, according to multiple reports at the time.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.R. Kelly in a Chicago courtroom on June 6, 2019.E. JASON WAMBSGANS/AFP via GettyKelly was handed the sentence as he was already serving 30 years in prison for his 2021conviction on racketeering and sex-trafficking chargesbased out of New York, per multiple reports, meaning he will spend a total of 31 years behind bars.The singer and father of three wasacquitted of child-pornography charges in 2008after allegations had surrounded him for decades, PEOPLE previously reported.After Kelly’s arrest in 2019, prosecutors said in an indictment issued that he and his team — made up of his managers, bodyguards and assistants — “traveled throughout the United States and abroad to perform at concert venues … and to recruit women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with Kelly” as far back as 1999.Kelly remains held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.R Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journeypremieres on the Tvei Network Oct. 11.If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

R. Kelly’s daughter is speaking out about her father.

Ina trailer forthe upcoming documentaryR Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, Joanne Kelly shares how theconvictions of her father on multiple sex crimes“changed my whole life” as she opens up about their broken relationship.

“Nobody wants to be the child of the father that is out here hurting women and children,” says Joanne, 26, in the trailer, released on Sunday, Sept 29. “He knows exactly why we can’t have the relationship that we would have liked to have with him.”

Kelly’s daughter, who appears to be pregnant in the clip, gets emotional later on in the trailer as she reflects on how she used to see her father.

“He was my everything,” she says of Kelly, 57, crying. “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.”

“I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life,” she says, referring to Kelly’s conviction, adding of her future child, “If my son asks questions, I’m going to be as truthful as possible. And I will not be taking my son to prison to meet his grandfather.”

Kelly’s ex-wife and mother of Joanne and her siblings,Drea Kelly, also makes an appearance in the trailer in a tearful clip.

“Just because you’re not a good husband, doesn’t mean you can’t be a good father. And the fact that he didn’t even try,” Drea, 50, says of Kelly. “What he did to me, he did to me. But you didn’t have to do it to my damn kids.”

Joanne’s siblings, Jaah Kelly and Robert Kelly Jr., also speak out in the documentary in “raw, emotional interviews,” while “the film uncovers the dark reality of living in the shadow of one of the most notorious figures in music,” according to a synopsis.

In February 2023, the disgraced R&B singer/songwriter and convicted sex offender received a20-year prison sentence on charges of child pornographyand enticement of minors for sex, according to multiple reports at the time.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

R. Kelly in a Chicago courtroom on June 6, 2019.E. JASON WAMBSGANS/AFP via Getty

E. JASON WAMBSGANS/AFP via Getty

Kelly was handed the sentence as he was already serving 30 years in prison for his 2021conviction on racketeering and sex-trafficking chargesbased out of New York, per multiple reports, meaning he will spend a total of 31 years behind bars.

The singer and father of three wasacquitted of child-pornography charges in 2008after allegations had surrounded him for decades, PEOPLE previously reported.

After Kelly’s arrest in 2019, prosecutors said in an indictment issued that he and his team — made up of his managers, bodyguards and assistants — “traveled throughout the United States and abroad to perform at concert venues … and to recruit women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with Kelly” as far back as 1999.

Kelly remains held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.

R Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journeypremieres on the Tvei Network Oct. 11.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

source: people.com