Buku Abi (born Joann Kelly), the daughter of disgraced R&B royalty R. Kelly, just set the Internet ablaze on Friday (October 11) by accusing her father of horrific acts of abuse when she was just a little kid. If you thought the Kelly family saga was already tangled enough, congratulations — it just got messier than a Thanksgiving dinner where the turkey is still frozen.
In case you’ve forgotten, Papa Kelly is currently tucked away behind bars with a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking, alongside a 20-year sentence for trying to entice minors. But despite being a tad busy with, you know, rotting in prison, Kelly wasted no time responding to these new accusations — because apparently, silence is overrated when you’re infamous.
Episode 1: Family Drama Unfolds Like a Reality Show
Abi didn’t hold back in episode one of TVEI Streaming Network’s hot-off-the-press docuseries, ‘Karma: A Daughter’s Journey.’ And let me tell you, it was not your average “oops-my-dad-forgot-my-birthday” kind of confession.
“I remember waking up, and he was… touching me,” Buku revealed in the docuseries, making viewers gasp and collectively clutch their pearls. “I just laid there, pretending to sleep.” Honestly, this is the stuff that nightmares — and thousands of angry tweets — are made of.
The alleged abuse, which started when Buku was just 8 years old, remained a secret until she mustered the courage to tell her mom, Andrea Kelly, at age 10. Andrea didn’t mess around and reported it to the authorities, filing a “Jane Doe” complaint faster than you can say, “Well, this escalated quickly.”
But as Buku sadly explained, the timing threw a wrench in the legal process: “They couldn’t prosecute him because I waited too long. So it felt like I said something for nothing.” And with that, viewers were left teary-eyed, wondering how the justice system manages to fumble things harder than your drunk cousin trying to catch a wedding bouquet.
Kelly’s Legal Team Enters the Chat
Not one to sit back quietly, R. Kelly sent out his defense squad. His attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, was quick to slam the documentary and deny Buku’s claims with the force of someone swatting away a particularly annoying fly.
“Mr. Kelly vehemently denies these allegations,” Bonjean said, with a sprinkle of indignation. “His ex-wife made the same claim ages ago, and it was investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services, who found no basis for it.” She then added a little side-eye energy toward the filmmakers, complaining they didn’t even ask Kelly for his side of the story.
Now, whether that’s because he’s in jail or because the filmmakers just didn’t think “Sorry, I was too busy trafficking minors” would be a compelling defense is anyone’s guess.
Buku: “Dad, This Isn’t Exactly Hallmark Material”
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any sadder, another clip from Karma recently went viral, and Buku’s words are… well, let’s just say they hit harder than a remix of “Ignition.”
“Nobody wants to be the kid of a dad who hurts women and children,” she said with brutal honesty. “He knows exactly why we can’t have the relationship we should have.” And if that wasn’t enough to stir your emotions, she continued:
“That one moment changed my whole life. If my son ever asks questions, I’ll tell him the truth. And no — I won’t be dragging him to some prison to meet his granddad. We’re not doing bring-your-kid-to-jail day over here.”
Oof. And just like that, the Kelly family reunion is officially canceled.
Where To Watch
If you need a break from scrolling through messy group chats or doomscrolling on Twitter, you can catch Episode 1 of Karma: A Daughter’s Journey streaming now. But warning: it’s not exactly light-hearted binge material.