R. Kelly’s Latest Legal Trouble, Explained

On Monday, journalist Jim DeRogatis, whose dogged decade-plus reporting on R. Kelly famously exposed the singer’s sexual behavior with minors, published damning new accusations against the self-proclaimed “Pied Piper of R&B.” DeRogatis reports for BuzzFeed that Kelly is running what the families of two alleged victims are calling a “sex cult” that preys on aspiring female singers. According to three former associates of Kelly’s — two of whom say they were also victims of the “cult” — at least six women are living at Kelly’s properties in Chicago and Atlanta, where they’re allegedly subjected to various forms of emotional and physical abuse.


According to the parents of two of these women, their daughters are being held “prisoner” and restricted from communicating with their families. One family, which says they haven’t seen their daughter since December, describes her as “brainwashed.” Both families have contacted local police to investigate the alleged disappearances of their daughters, though one alleged victim has refused to cooperate with police. 

Since the news broke, one of the alleged victims, 21-year-old Joycelyn Savage, has spoken to TMZ claiming she is “totally fine,” though she would not disclose her whereabouts, who she’s living with, or if she’s free to leave. Savage later alleged that her father, Timothy, arranged her relationship with Kelly. Further adding to the murkiness of the situation: All the women allegedly living with Kelly are of legal consenting age. (However, a new report from Jezebel suggests one of the women has been with Kelly since she was “14 or 15.”)

Kelly was previously acquitted of child-pornography charges in 2008, and has settled several other lawsuits alleging abuse out of court. Kelly has also denied the accusations made in the BuzzFeed report.

Is it possible that Kelly has found another legal gray area, or could these latest accusations bring forth serious criminal charges?