R. Kelly’s daughter Buku Abi accused him of sexually abusing her in a documentary titled “R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey.” Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said Kelly “vehemently denies the allegations” in a response to The Doctors, which premieres on Friday (October 11).
“His ex-wife made the same allegation several years ago, which was investigated by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, but was baseless,” Kelly’s attorney said. “The ‘moviemakers,’ whoever they are, Mr Kelly or his team were not contacted or even allowed to deny these hurtful claims.”
TVEI releases R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, a two-part documentary. Abbie, whose real name is Joann Kelly, said her father molested her when she was eight or nine years old.
“I just remember waking up and him touching me,” she said through tears. “I didn’t know what to do. So, I just lay there and pretended to be asleep.
View this post on Instagram
Abi said she was “too scared to tell anyone” after what happened. In 2009, at the age of 10, she finally told her mother about the incident.
“After I told my mother, I didn’t go there [to Kelly’s home] Not anymore,” Abi said. “My brothers and sisters, we didn’t go there anymore. Even now, I struggle with that.
Abbie and her mother, Drea Kelly, tried to report the incident to police. Abiy refers to himself as Jane Doe in the complaint.
“They couldn’t prosecute him because I waited too long,” she explains in the documentary. “So, at that point in my life, I felt like what I was saying meant nothing.”
Kelly was convicted of child pornography, child luring, racketeering and sex trafficking in 2021 and 2022. The Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal on Monday (October 7).

