The first two episodes of Surviving R. Kelly aired on Thursday night (January 3) and there was no shortage of social media outrage. The series dove into detail about the multiple sexual assault allegations the R&B legend has faced over the years and also explored the sexual relationship he had with an underaged Aaliyah.
Grammy Award-winning singer John Legend, who appears in the documentary, joined the discussion on Twitter and deflected any praise he was receiving as a result of his participation.
“To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn’t feel risky at all. I believe these women and don’t give a fuck about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision.
To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn't feel risky at all. I believe these women and don't give a fuck about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) January 4, 2019
Legend offered a little more insight into the making of the series and credited filmmaker Dream Hampton for bringing the series to life.
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“We should all thank my friend @dreamhampton for her very necessary work to create #SurvivingRKelly,” he wrote. “These survivors deserved to be lifted up and heard. I hope it gets them closer to some kind of justice.”
We should all thank my friend @dreamhampton for her very necessary work to create #SurvivingRKelly. These survivors deserved to be lifted up and heard. I hope it gets them closer to some kind of justice.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) January 4, 2019
Legend added, “Also I’m happy to support the work of people like my friends at @ALongWalkHome who have been speaking out on behalf of the survivors for a long time.” [apple_news_ad type=”any”]
Also I'm happy to support the work of people like my friends at @ALongWalkHome who have been speaking out on behalf of the survivors for a long time.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) January 4, 2019
But not everybody is happy Kelly’s alleged victims are getting a voice. Kelly’s attorney, Brian Nix, fired off a legal letter earlier this week threatening to sue if the program aired. Evidently, Lifetime was undeterred.
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The series continues on Friday (January 4) at 9 p.m. ET. [apple_news_ad type=”any”]
