Renowned singer R. Kelly’s daughter, Joann Kelly, known as Buku Abi, has accused her father of sexually abusing her during her childhood. These allegations are featured in a new documentary titled R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, which is streaming on the TVEI Network, according to The Hollywood Reporter. R. Kelly is currently serving a prison sentence for federal racketeering and sex trafficking, which includes charges of sexual abuse involving minors.
In the two-part documentary, a visibly emotional Buku recounts her painful experiences, describing her father as her “everything” and expressing her initial disbelief about the abuse. “I didn’t know that even if he was a bad person he would do something to me. I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom,” she said.
The documentary also features interviews with her siblings, Jaah and Robert Kelly Jr., and their mother, Drea Kelly, who filed for divorce from R. Kelly in 2009. Buku explained that the traumatic event fundamentally altered her life, dimming the “sparkle” she once carried. “I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life and changed who I was as a person,” she stated. Following her disclosure to her mother, she and her siblings stopped visiting their father, a decision that still haunts her. “Even up until now, I struggle with it a lot,” she added.
R. Kelly’s legal representation has strongly denied these allegations. Jennifer Bonjean, an attorney at Bonjean Law Group in New York City, released a statement to People, asserting that similar accusations made by R. Kelly’s ex-wife had been investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and were found to be unfounded. Bonjean criticized the documentary’s producers for failing to reach out to R. Kelly or his legal team, arguing that they did not allow him the opportunity to respond to the “hurtful claims.”
As the documentary sheds light on the complexities of familial relationships affected by trauma, it also raises broader questions about accountability and the lasting impact of abuse. The claims made by Buku Abi are likely to reignite discussions surrounding R. Kelly’s troubling legacy and the ongoing legal battles stemming from his past actions.
