BATON ROUGE, La (LOCAL 33) (FOX 44) – Many were left scratching their heads Thursday night after the premiere of Lifetime’s new documentary on R. Kelly’s rumored pedophilia.
“Surviving R. Kelly” is a six-part series that features interviews with dozens of Kelly’s alleged victims and members from his team who helped him fulfill his whispering sexual desires for young girls.
Several victims claimed they were teenagers when they first encountered the popular musician and were subjected to years of physical and psychological abuse.
One of the myriad issues explored in the series is R. Kelly’s relationship to the now-deceased pop star Aaliyah, who reportedly married Kelly in 1994 when he was 27 and she was only 15-years-old.
According to NOLA.com, the NAACP presented Robert Kelly with a key to Baton Rouge while he sold out the River Cane Center back in 2013.
We’re told then member of the Baton Rouge Metro Council, Denise Marcelle, walked out on stage to present Kelly with a $256 plaque and a key to the city.
At the same time, members from Baton Rouge’s NAACP sector presented Kelly with an “Unsung Hero” award.
BRProud.com caught up with Denise Marcelle to get her reaction on the new developments being displayed to the public in Lifetime’s controversial documentary.
“I haven’t seen it yet,” said Marcelle. “I was a member of the welcoming community at this time. We welcome many artists. I’m not a fan of R. Kelly per se… my understanding is that he had been tried and acquitted.”
“I don’t support anyone who would take advantage of women in any way. I simply did a presentation. I gave gospel singers keys to the city… I’m not responsible for his actions and do not condone his behavior.”
“He’s a great artist who sold out the River Center at the time. I wasn’t on the jury when he was being charged but I believe the system needs to follow through on that.”
We reached out to the NAACP for reactions on their decision to present Kelly with a key to the city and they released the following statement:
Our organizational mission states, “The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.” We have held these standards in service for the last 100 years and look forward to serving the City of Baton Rouge for 100 more.”
According to Billboard, the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer’s lawyer reportedly alleges that the documentary is filled with false allegations, and suggests the subjects are defaming his client for personal gain.
Kelly has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes connected with the allegations.
If you missed Thursday night’s premiere, two additional hours will premiere on Friday, January 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT and the final installment of the six-part documentary series will debut on Saturday, January 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
