R. Kelly’s daughter, Joann Kelly—known by her stage name Buku Abi—has come forward in a new docuseries with shocking allegations that her father sexually abused her when she was a child. The claims, detailed in the two-part series Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, allege that the abuse occurred when Abi was 8 or 9 years old. Abi recounts the traumatic experience of waking up to her father touching her and describes the emotional struggle she faced for years in processing the event.
According to Abi, she was too scared to speak up about the alleged abuse initially, not even confiding in her mother, Andrea Kelly, until two years later in 2009. After revealing the incident to her mother, Abi and her siblings stopped visiting R. Kelly following his divorce from Andrea.
Abi shares that the abuse had a profound impact on her life, changing who she was and leaving her with lasting trauma. Despite filing an anonymous police report years later, no legal action was taken due to the delay in reporting. Abi expresses her frustration in the documentary, feeling as though her efforts to speak out had been in vain.
R. Kelly, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for unrelated child pornography and enticement charges, has denied the allegations through his attorney, Jennifer Bonjean. Bonjean claims that similar accusations from R. Kelly’s ex-wife were previously investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.
These new allegations come at a time when R. Kelly’s legal appeals have been exhausted, with the U.S. Supreme Court recently declining to hear his case. Abi’s accusations add yet another chapter to the ongoing controversy surrounding the disgraced musician, providing a deeply personal perspective on the impact of his actions on those closest to him.
