Three days after being arrested for the second time in less than two weeks, the 52-year-old singer wasreleased from jailover the weekend after a payment for the $161,000 in back child support he owed was made anonymously on his behalf.
CNN previously reported that court documents showed Kelly owed the unpaid child support to his ex-wife,Andrea Kelly.
In January, ahead of the premiere ofSurviving R. Kelly, Andrea told PEOPLE that the singer no longerhad any contact with their three children— and had stopped supporting them financially.
Earl Gibson III/Getty; Paras Griffin/WireImage
“He stopped paying child support when I came forward with my story, so he’s still economically abusing me. So, it’s like, ‘Oh, okay, you want to tell your story? Fine. I’m cutting off child support,'” she said.
R. Kelly.Cook County Sheriff’s Office
Andrea, who was married to the singer for 13 years, went on to share that what her ex didn’t seem to understand was “when I suffer, your children suffer.”
The singer’s attorney Steve Greenberg told PEOPLE he cannot comment due to order of the court, although he’s previously denied claims that his client is a “deadbeat dad.”
“I don’t think he ever should have gone into custody for it. He’s not some deadbeat dad. He fell a little bit behind. That occurred in a matter of months,” Greenberg told PEOPLE following the singer’s release from prison on Saturday.
Cook County Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Sophia Ansari previously told PEOPLE that Kelly was released from custody after the full $161,633 was paid on Saturday morning, but that it’s not immediately clear who paid the sum.
In a copy of Kelly’s bond slip given to PEOPLE, the provider information is left blank.
“Anonymous payments do happen but they are rare,” Ansari told PEOPLE.
Kelly, who has repeatedly denied all claims against him, briefly addressed reporters outside of the jail, saying, “I promise you, we’re going to straighten all this stuff out,” according toCNN.
Paul Beaty/AP/Shutterstock
Kelly was then arrested again on March 6, following a child support hearing in Chicago.
According to the Associated Press, the singer was escorted out of a Cook County courtroom around 3:45 p.m. and taken into custody.
Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Ansari previously confirmed to PEOPLE that Kelly was transferred to the county jail, where he was set to remain until paying back the sum.
Kelly’s publicist Darryll Johnson told the Associated Press the R&B star had been prepared to pay $50,000 to $60,000 at Wednesday’s hearing, but the judge requested the full amount. Johnson said the entire sum wasn’t available due to Kelly being unable to work. PEOPLE was unable to immediately reach Johnson for comment.
Kelly’s release came shortly after hisemotionally charged interviewwithGayle King, during which the singer grew increasingly upset as he denied the allegations made against him.
King also spoke with Kelly’s two live-in girlfriends, Joycelyn Savage, 23, and Azriel Clary, 21. Savage’s parents have accused R. Kelly of kidnapping their daughter, though she says she’sliving with the singer of her own free will.
Gayle King and R. Kelly.Lazarus Jean-Baptiste/CBS
Kelly’s alleged behavior came to the media forefront again in July 2017, when BuzzFeed published a bombshell report accusing the star of running a “sex cult” out of his Chicago and Atlanta-area homes, and after the release ofSurviving R. Kellyin January.
According to those reports, the star allegedly seduced a number of young women with the promise of helping them kickstart a music career, only to “groom” them into being his personal sex objects for whom he allegedly controlled every aspect of their lives.
Kelly has repeatedly denied all claims against him. He is due in court again on March 13 regarding child support and March 22 on the sexual abuse charges.
source: people.com
