In recent month, it turns out, several key members of R. Kelly‘s inner circle have cut ties with him, as pressure continues to build following continued allegations of sexual misconduct.
Per reports in Pitchfork, spokesperson and publicist Trevian Kutti confirmed that as of April 16, she no longer works with the ‘Trapped In The Closet‘ singer
This follows an earlier BBC3 report that entertainment lawyer Linda Mensch and executive assistant Diana Copeland, who had been with him for 10 years, also quit between February and April.
In a statement, Mensch said that she “no longer [represents] Mr Kelly or his entities,” but added that her resignation was “unrelated to Mr Kelly’s social life.”
A recent BBC3 documentary, R Kelly: Sex, Girls and Videotapes, contained shocking allegations against the singer, including allegations that he habitually “grooms” underage girls for sex.
Kitti Jones, one of three women who recently accused the singer of sexual misconduct, claims she was once introduced to a girl who Kelly had “trained” since the age of 14. She said:
“I saw that she was dressed like me, that she was saying the things I’d say and her mannerisms were like mine. That’s when it clicked in my head that he had been grooming me to become one of his pets. He calls them his pets.”
Allegations of this type date back to the 1990s, when it was claimed that Kelly married and was in a sexual relationship with his 15-year-old protege, the now-deceased R&B singer Aaliyah.
Following the release of the docmentary, Vince Staples ripped into R. Kelly, telling an interviewer at Coachella that the singer is “a child molester” and a “piece of fucking shit.”
A Dallas woman is currently suing R. Kelly, claiming that he gave her a sexually transmitted disease when they were in a relationship while she was 19.
A criminal complaint has reportedly been lodged, and Dallas police say they are investigating.
