On Tuesday night (December 4), a threat abruptly ended a private screening for documentary film series Surviving R. Kelly located at the NeueHouse Madison Square building in Manhattan’s Flatiron district.
The film, produced by renowned journalist Dream Hampton, is about the embattled R&B singer’s alleged sexual abuse victims is set to air on the Lifetime TV channel come January 2019.
Just minutes into the screening, New York police officers reportedly ordered the event’s attendees to evacuate the premises in response to an anonymous call about the threat.
However, there are conflicting reports about whether it was a gun or bomb threat.
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“It started, we got 25 minutes into the screening,” one attendee told HipHopDX. “Survivors were there, too. Cops and NeueHouse staff told us there’s a threat and we need to evacuate. He apparently called into NeueHouse multiple times, like 20, and called in gun threats.”
Special guests at the event included The Breakfast Club co-host Angela Yee, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, $OscarsSoWhite founder April Reign and Lifetime TV executive producer Brie Miranda Bryant.
Burke and Yee posted about the event’s shutdown on Instagram.
NeueHouse Madison Square CEO Josh Wyatt released this statement about the evacuation and the threat which proved to be a hoax.
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Based on speculation within the event, some of the attendees believe that the timing of the threat was too coincidental and that Kelly played a role in shutting down the screening. On several posts, they used the hashtag #MuteRKelly.
Even if it were true, this will be tough for R. Kelly to “admit” his role in stopping a private film screening about his alleged sexual abuse victims.
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