You know things are bad when even R. Kelly’s Crisis Manager won’t leave his daughter alone with the singer.
Darrell Johnson, who has the high-pressure job of R. Kelly’s Crisis Manager, recently appeared on CBS This Morning to discuss developments in the singer’s case. However, things took a turn when host Gayle King asked Johnson if he’d ever let his 20-something-year-old daughter be alone with Kelly.
“Absolutely not,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t leave my daughter with anyone accused of pedophilia. Period.”
King pointed out Johnson’s contradiction: the fact that it’s his *literal* job to defend Kelly and presumably manage his crises – many of which involve underage girls – but he wouldn’t allow his young daughter to be alone with him.
Earlier in the interview, Johnson explained his first interactions with Kelly and the two women, Azriel Clary and Jocelyn Savage, he lives with. “Mr. Kelly was recording, 20 minutes later, Azriel and Jocelyn with shopping bags. No security, free, doing what they want to do.”
“I spent a lot of time with Mr. Kelly, and I still say, my eye is trained,” Johnson said. “I haven’t seen anything that would cause me to be suspicious.”
King intercepts and explains that she’s seen Kelly “being a normal person” too, and that “we are not going to see that type of behaviour.”
It’s not the first time Gayle King has worked with R. Kelly and his team. The CBS This Morning anchor came face-to-face with the accused singer in a sit-down interview in March this year. King managed to keep her composure, even when Kelly leapt out of his seat and started shouting at her.
While R. Kelly has faced accusations of sexual misconduct for decades, the allegations against Kelly came to a head in January this year when Lifetime aired Surviving R. Kelly, a six-part documentary series detailing the alleged abuse victims faced at the hands of the singer. In February, Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He plead not guilty to all charges and was released on bail after just two nights in jail.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors indicted Kelly on 18 charges including child sexual exploitation, child pornogrpahy production, kidnapping, forced labour, racketeering, and obstruction of justice.
The singer has managed to escape charges for so long, will he finally be put behind bars? We will just have to wait and see.
If you, or anyone you know, is a victim of sexual abuse or misconduct, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 1800 RESPECT for support.