In a deeply personal and harrowing two-part documentary series titled “Karma: A Daughter’s Journey,” Buku Abi, the daughter of R. Kelly, has bravely come forward with allegations that her father sexually abused her during her childhood.

The revelations made by Abi, who is also known legally as Joann Kelly, have sent shockwaves through the music industry and beyond, as she shares her traumatic experiences and the impact they have had on her life.

A Painful Admission

Buku Abi, the daughter of R. Kelly and his ex-wife Andrea “Drea” Kelly, recounts her painful journey in the documentary.

She describes her father as her “everything,” expressing the difficulty she faced in coming to terms with the allegations.

“For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe that it happened. I didn’t know that even if he was a bad person that he would do something to me,” she reveals.

The emotional weight of her experiences is palpable as she shares how fear prevented her from speaking out.

“I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom,” she confesses.

Abi reflects on a moment that she believes changed her life forever.

“I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life and changed who I was as a person,” she says.

Following her revelation to her mother, she explains that her relationship with her father altered dramatically.

“After I told my mom, I didn’t go over there anymore,” she states, indicating the profound impact of her trauma on family dynamics.

The Allegations and Their Fallout

In her testimony, Abi provides disturbing details about the alleged abuse, claiming that the incidents occurred when she was just 8 or 9 years old.

“I just remember waking up to him touching me,” she recalls tearfully.

The helplessness she felt in that moment is evident as she describes pretending to be asleep, hoping to escape the situation.

“From that moment on, I was a different person,” she admits, highlighting the long-lasting effects of the abuse on her identity and mental health.

Abi’s mother, Drea Kelly, is also mentioned in the documentary.

The emotional toll of these revelations on her mother is evident, as Abi states, “The news completely broke her heart.”

This heartbreaking admission underscores the family’s struggle to cope with the fallout from R. Kelly’s actions.

R. Kelly’s Legal Battles

As these allegations come to light, R. Kelly’s legal team has vehemently denied them.

In a statement to People magazine, Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, asserted, “Mr. Kelly vehemently denies these allegations.”

She further noted that similar allegations made by his ex-wife had been investigated and deemed unfounded by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services.

Bonjean criticized the filmmakers for not reaching out to Kelly for his side of the story, calling the claims “hurtful.”

Meanwhile, R. Kelly continues to face significant legal troubles.

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal regarding a 2022 federal conviction related to child pornography and luring underage girls.

He is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for these crimes, which are just a part of his extensive legal issues.

Despite being acquitted of several charges, the damage to his reputation and career is irreversible.

A New Chapter for Buku Abi

Buku Abi’s journey has not been easy, but she is determined to reclaim her narrative.

In the wake of her father’s actions, she has distanced herself from the Kelly name, choosing to use a different name to forge her own identity.

In 2019, she publicly condemned her father, labeling him a “monster” and expressing the pain of not having seen or spoken to him in years.

Her story is not just one of survival but also a call for awareness and change.

By sharing her experiences, Abi hopes to empower others who have faced similar situations and to encourage conversations about abuse and healing.

“It was hard to accept that it happened,” she states, emphasizing the importance of speaking out and seeking help.

Conclusion

Buku Abi’s courageous decision to share her story sheds light on the complexities of familial relationships, especially when intertwined with trauma and abuse.

As the documentary unfolds, viewers are left to grapple with the disturbing realities of her experiences and the broader implications for society.

Through her journey, Abi not only seeks justice for herself but also aims to inspire others to find their voices in the face of adversity.

As the world watches, the hope is that her story will spark important conversations and lead to healing for those affected by similar traumas.

Buku Abi alleges father R. Kelly sexually abused her as a child in new documentaryBuku Abi, pictured at an event in 2019, alleges her father R. Kelly sexually abused her as a child in the new documentary “R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey.”

Buku Abi, also known as Joann Kelly, has alleged that her father, disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, sexually abused her as a child in a new documentary.

“For a long time I did not even want to believe that it happened,” a tearful Abi says in “R. Kelly’s Karma: A Daughter’s Journey,” now streaming on TVEI. “I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom.”

“I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life and changed who I was as a person. Changed the sparkle I had and the light that I used to carry.”

Kelly has denied the allegations through an attorney.

R. Kelly’s new 20-year sentence adds only one year to existing 30-year prison term

Abi shares her story over the course of the two-part documentary directed by Venessa Renee, which also includes interviews with her mother Drea Kelly, siblings Jaah Kelly and Robert Kelly Jr. and her grandparents.

“He’s a monster,” Abi’s grandmother Melissa Lee says of R. Kelly in the first installment. “There’s no other word for him, he’s a monster. What he has done to those kids, what he has done to our daughter. … He should not live. I think putting him in jail is too easy.”

Kelly is currently serving time after being convicted in 2021 for sex trafficking and racketeering. In 2023, his initial 30-year sentence was extended to 31 years following his conviction on separate child pornography and enticement charges. The initial federal charges against Kelly were levied nearly in tandem with the release of the 2019 Lifetime documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly,” which detailed decades of alleged sexual abuse by the singer and featured multiple accusers.

“R. Kelly’s Karma” opens with Abi stating that she “100% feel[s] like he deserves to be in jail.”

“All I know is what happened to me,” Abi later expands in the documentary. “All I know is what happened to my mom. All I know is what happened to my brother and sister. And, because of that, I feel like as a family, we all know why he’s in jail.”R. Kelly at a 2019 hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court building in Chicago.

According to Abi, her father “meant the world to [her]” as a child. But everything changed one night when Kelly was throwing a party and Abi decided to sleep in the office instead of her room so she could be closer to him and the evening’s events.

“I just remember waking up to him touching me,” says Abi, who said the incident occurred when she was 8 or 9. “I didn’t know what to do so I just kind of laid there and I pretended to be asleep.”

She adds, “I was too scared to tell anybody. It was hard to even accept that it happened. For a long time I just tried to put it somewhere else. But it got to a point where it was too much. It was too much to not talk about. It was too much to not deal with. So I had to tell my mom. When I told her, it completely broke her heart.”

The documentary details how Abi reported the abuse to her mother in 2009, when she was 10 years old. According to court documents that the filmmakers obtained when Kelly’s divorce papers were unsealed in 2019, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigated Kelly for allegedly molesting a preteen Jane Doe in 2009. The filing also stated that the “caseworker believed that the abuse occurred, but because of the length of time between the abuse and Jane Doe’s reporting the incident, the charges were dropped.”

Abi, who recalls talking to various officials after coming forward to her mother about the abuse, says it was difficult because it felt like she spoke up back then “for nothing.”

“They basically couldn’t prosecute him because I waited too long,” says Abi. “I felt like it was a waste. I felt like I was putting my mom through so much for nothing.”

Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean addressed Abi’s allegations in a statement to People.

“Mr. Kelly vehemently denies these allegations,” said Bonjean. “His ex-wife made the same allegation years ago, and it was investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and was unfounded. … And the ‘filmmakers,’ whoever they are, did not reach out to Mr. Kelly or his team to even allow him to deny these hurtful claims.”

In addition to the allegations, “R. Kelly’s Karma” features Abi and her siblings sharing what they remember about fleeing their childhood home with their mother and how they have been affected by R. Kelly’s actions.

“I don’t want to resemble him in any way,” says Robert Kelly Jr.

Abi, who gave birth to her first child over the course of filming the documentary, also gets candid about recording her duet with Kelly (“Wanna Be There”) when she was younger, her struggles with self-harm and her previous miscarriage, as well as more hopeful notes for her family’s future.

“Me, my brother and sister, we are going to change the narrative about the last name Kelly,” says Abi. “For my son, that name is going to be something to be proud of. It’s going to be something that he’s going to wear with honor.”

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