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 β it just got messier than a Thanksgiving dinner where the turkey is still frozen.
In case youβve 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 β because apparently, silence is overrated when you’re infamous.
Episode 1: Family Drama Unfolds Like a Reality Show
Abi didnβt hold back in episode one of TVEI Streaming Networkβs hot-off-the-press docuseries, βKarma: A Daughterβs Journey.β 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,β Buku revealed in the docuseries, making viewers gasp and collectively clutch their pearls. βI just laid there, pretending to sleep.” Honestly, this is the stuff that nightmares β and thousands of angry tweets β 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 didnβt mess around and reported it to the authorities, filing a βJane Doeβ complaint faster than you can say, “Well, this escalated quickly.”
But as Buku sadly explained, the timing threw a wrench in the legal process: βThey couldnβt prosecute him because I waited too long. So it felt like I said something for nothing.β 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.
Kellyβs 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 Bukuβs 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.β She then added a little side-eye energy toward the filmmakers, complaining they didnβt even ask Kelly for his side of the story.
Now, whether that’s because heβs in jail or because the filmmakers just didnβt think “Sorry, I was too busy trafficking minors” would be a compelling defense is anyoneβs guess.
Buku: βDad, This Isnβt Exactly Hallmark Materialβ
Just when you thought it couldnβt get any sadder, another clip from Karma recently went viral, and Bukuβs words are… well, letβs just say they hit harder than a remix of βIgnition.β
βNobody wants to be the kid of a dad who hurts women and children,β she said with brutal honesty. βHe knows exactly why we canβt have the relationship we should have.β And if that wasnβt enough to stir your emotions, she continued:
βThat one moment changed my whole life. If my son ever asks questions, Iβll tell him the truth. And no β I wonβt be dragging him to some prison to meet his granddad. Weβre not doing bring-your-kid-to-jail day over here.β
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 Daughterβs Journey streaming now. But warning: itβs not exactly light-hearted binge material.