“I blame the devil!”
That’s R Kelly’s last desperate line of defense after it was revealed that Faith Rodgers, one of the singer’s alleged victims who appeared on the shocking Surviving R. Kelly documentary, has testified against him in front of a federal grand jury.
Confronted with reports that Rodgers had testified, Kelly’s crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, told TMZ: “Mr. Kelly feels like the devil is working overtime in an effort to try to destroy his musical legacy for selfish, personal enrichment.”
Yes, R. Kelly thinks the devil is out to get him.
While the details of Rodgers’ testimony remains unknown for now, she has previously alleged a disturbing litany of abuse at the hands of Kelly, whom she met after a concert in San Antonio in 2017.
In a lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court, Rodgers claimed that Kelly sexually assaulted her in a hotel room two months after their first meeting. She alleges it was “non-permissive, painful, and abusive sex” and that afterward he criticized her for “lack of participation.”
In court documents seen by Variety at the time, she alleged: “Defendant, R. Kelly, locked Plaintiff in secluded areas including rooms, studios, and motor vehicles, for extended periods of time in order to punish Plaintiff for failing to please Defendant sexually and/or for perceived offenses and violations of his prescribed code of conduct.”
She also claims he plied her with alcohol despite her being underage. The lawsuit also alleges Kelly infected Rodgers with herpes after failing to disclose he had an STD.
Rodgers previously told CBS News that she began a relationship with Kelly when she was 19. She alleges he told her to call him “Daddy,” and introduced her to one of five women he was reportedly “raising.” She also told the news network that Kelly recorded their first sexual encounter without her consent.
After Rodgers featured in Surviving R. Kelly, her lawyers claimed Kelly sent a notarized letter to a lawyer representing her, which, she said, contained compromising photos of her. The letter allegedly stated: “If she persists in court action she will be subjected to public opinion,” and said Kelly would request “10 personal male witnesses testifying about her sex life.”
After relaying the devil-blaming for the latest moves against him, Kelly’s spokesman conceded to TMZ that the singer is “not where he wants to be in life at this present moment. However, every indication shows that he is headed in the direction of a positive outcome. He feels that when you are very focused people try to take you down. He’s very confident that in the end he will be proven innocent.’’
Or maybe not; TMZ reports that more witnesses are expected to provide testimony against Kelly soon, and there are reportedly numerous cases being built against Kelly for tax evasion, obstruction of justice, and sex trafficking.