15 Things We Learned About R. Kelly From 'Surviving R. Kelly'

Source: Live Nation / Live Nation

The Lifetime Movie Network premiered ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ and social media went crazy.  The three-part series was shocking and sickening to many despite all the past allegations, all the rumors and all of the legal troubles.

The two-hour premiere revealed many things about Robert Kelly.  Here are the top 15 things revealed in the first night of ‘Surviving R. Kelly’

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1. R. Kelly had serious trouble reading and writing and was teased in school by his peers about it.
2. R. Kelly began being molested by a family member at the age 7.  He claims the abuse continued into his early teens.
3. Some of his brothers claim they were molested as well.
4. R. Kelly dropped out of school his senior year of high school.
5. He was discovered on Natalie Cole’s television show called ‘Big Break’ in the 80s.

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6. Jovante Cunningham (R. Kellys background singer) claims at the age of 14 that she witnessed R. Kelly in a sex act with a minor during the recording of Slow Dance the remix.
7. R. Kelly met the aspiring singer Aaliyah through her manager Barry Hankerson and started working with her when she was 12 years old.
8. In 1994 R. Kelly & Aaliyah did a BET interview dressed alike and were asked about their “relationship”  they never answer directly calling each other ‘best friends’
9. Jovante Cunningham claims to have walked in on Aaliyah and R. Kelly having sex in 1994 on his tour bus.  Aaliyah was only 15 at the time.
10. Rocky Bivens Demetrius Smith (R. Kellys Business Manager) claims to have witnessed the wedding between R. Kelly and Aaliyah.  He claims to be involved with the forging of the papers.  On the marriage certificate, it was stated that Aaliyah was 18 but she was actually 15 years old.  R. Kelly was 27 years old.
11. The marriage between R. Kelly and Aaliyah was annulled in 2 months.  R. Kelly was reported to pay Aaliyah’s family $100 not to pursue legal action.
12. Aspiring singer Lizzette Martinez met at age 17 at a mall in Florida.  He pursued her sexually and she didn’t know what to do because she wanted a career in the music business.  She claims he mentally and physically abused her.  Later on into the relationship she became pregnant but lost the baby.  R. Kelly wrote “You are Not Alone” for Micahel Jackson about Lizzette.  Lizzette caught mono from him and became very sick.  R. Kelly sent $1,000 to her family and sent her away.
13. Craig Williams, a music producer, claims to see multiple underage women all over his home and studio in beds.  He claims suspicion to the lifestyle R. Kelly was living.
14. Andrea Kelly, a dancer, met R. Kelly as a teenager.  She auditioned to be his dancer and got the part on his tour.  A relationship formed that eventually turned into a marriage in 1996.  Andrea claims she suffered many years of physical and mental abuse in their relationship.
15. Sparkle, one of his singers/proteges, introduced R. Kelly to her niece, a rapper, at the age of 13 years old.  Years later it was revealed that Sparkles niece was the young girl on the videotape that prompted the 2002 child pornography charges.

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Episode 2

The three-part series ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ continued two night two on Lifetime.  And just like part 1, it was shocking.

Here are the top 15 things revealed in the second night of ‘Surviving R. Kelly’

1. 1. Lisa Van Allen claims that she had several threesomes with R. Kelly and other young teenage girls including a 14-year-old who was Sparkle’s niece.  She claims they were all filmed by R. Kelly.
   2. Lisa Van Allen also was left alone with a bag R. Kelly often carried around with him with the tapes in them.  She watched one of the tapes that included herself and another young girl having sex with R. Kelly and even being urinated on by him.  She took the tape because she didn’t want him to have it anymore.  She asked a person to hold the tape for her.  This is the tape that was leaked in 2001.
   3. Abdon Pallasch, a journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, received a fax with details about a relationship between R. Kelly and underage women.  His colleague uncovered that many women had accused R. Kelly of sexual misconduct and sued him, all being settled out of court.
   4. December 21, 2000, the first article in the Chicago Sun-Times ran about R. Kelly predatory behavior.  More women called the newspaper to tell their story but they were reluctant to move forward legally.
   5. Lisa Van Allen told R. Kelly that she took the sex tape from his bag and told him who had the tape out of fear that it would be leaked.  R. Kelly paid $250,000 to get the tape back but copies had been made.  R. Kelly accused Lisa Van Allen of trying to extort money by using the tape.  She claims that he threatened to kill her because of it.
   6. In 2002 a copy of the sex tape was mailed to the Chicago Sun-Times.  Piecing together with evidence they gathered, reporters from the Chicago Sun-Times contacted Sparkle and asked her to come in and view the tapes.  Sparkle confirmed that it was her 14-year-old niece in the video.  The Chicago Sun-Times contacted the police.
   7. The tape was leaked and sold on the streets in the bootleg market all over in barber shops and on porn sites.
   8. Lisa Van Allen found out she was pregnant at the age of 20.  R. Kelly arranged for her to have an abortion.
   9. R. Kelly’s wife Andrea Kelly was said to be a prisoner in their home rarely seen.  If she wanted her hair done, people were brought to the house to do her hair etc.
   10. Music Producer Craig Williams and R. Kelly’s wife Andrea Kelly both claim that his ‘camp’ or staff helped orchestrate and cover up his sex acts.
   11. R. Kelly shipped his wife off to Florida after the sex tape was leaked.  Andrea Kelly was under so much stress that she had to deliver her son early.  R. Kelly was contacted and told that his wife had given birth to their son Robert Jr.  Just after giving birth she was in the hospital holding their son and saw that R. Kelly was arrested for child pornography on the news.  The date was June 5, 2002.
   12. R. Kelly is charged with 21 counts of child pornography.  He posts bail and goes to a church on the south side of Chicago where he participated in a sing-along that included children.
   13. January 23, 2003, R. Kelly was arrested in Miami for possessing photos of him allegedly having sex with underage girls.  The case was eventually dropped due to problems with evidence.
   14. Andrea Kelly decided after looking at the National Domestic Violence site that she needed to leave R. Kelly.  She left in the middle of the night with $2,500 a bag and her three children.
   15. During this time, R. Kelly was still touring, still releasing music and still at the top of the charts.  The community and fans still embraced him.

Bonus Notations (Because there was too much in Part 2):

1. R. Kelly’s child-pornography trial is delayed for years.  Working in favor of R. Kelly.  The trial started six years after the charges were brought on.
2. R. Kelly claimed his innocence and says that it was his younger brother Carey Kelly in the video and not him.
3. Carey Kelly did an interview with Wendy Williams denying that it was him on the sex tape.
4. R. Kelly allegedly offered his brother Carey $100,000 and a record deal if he said it was him on the sex tape.  Carey didn’t take the deal.
5. Sparkle was offered from R. Kelly a large sum of money to do an interview with R. Kelly in front of press showing that everything was ok.  She declined.
6. Sparkle took the stand against R. Kelly but the rest of her family denied that it was their 14-year-olds relative identity in the video.
7. June 13, 2008, Robert Kelly was found not guilty
8. During his trial, R. Kelly met Jerhonda Pace a teenage fan and supporter.  After being acquitted he sent for Jerhonda and invited her to his home. Jerhonda claims she told R. Kelly she was a virgin but he told her he was going to take her virginity.  She claims the two had an extended sexual relationship that led to physical and mental abuse.
9.  Jerhonda was told by R. Kelly to find another girl for him. She met Dominique Gardner on Myspace and introduced her to R. Kelly at the age of 17.  When Dominique’s mother found out she was with R. Kelly she called the police and went with them to get Dominique.  Legal action couldn’t be brought on to R. Kelly because Illinois legal age for consent is 17.

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