The docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” is getting a sequel called “The Reckoning.”
The first part, which aired last January, unraveled R&B singer R. Kelly’s sex crimes. It was revealed that Kelly would approach 14 to 17-year-old females and invite them to his mansion, where he allegedly kept them as his sex slaves.
Personal accounts from his victims revealed that he kept his victims away from each other and from their families, restricted them from talking to each other, and had them ask him for permission to do even the most basic things like going to the restroom. Kelly also ordered these teenagers to have sex with him or with each other as he wishes, and if they didn’t, they would be beaten, starved, and/or ignored.
Because of Kelly’s wealth and power, he and his management were able to shrug off reports about his ill doings, including a child pornography lawsuit in 2008. But after “Surviving R. Kelly” premiered, radio stations started boycotting Kelly. His record label RCA also allegedly dropped him.
These revelations in the series also drew authorities’ attention towards the issue, thus resulting to Kelly’s arrest in July 2019. He is currently in the custody of a federal detention center in Chicago with 18 state and federal sex crime charges against him from various states, namely in Illinois, New York, and Minnesota. Kelly pleaded not guilty on all charges. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the tentative first trial date for Kelly is on Sept. 14, 2020.
“The Reckoning” will also present the alleged cover-ups made by Kelly’s management, as well as the threats received by his victims as the original docuseries first premiered. This includes a gun threat during a private screening event in New York that Kelly’s ex-wife Drea Kelly and his victims attended.
The trailer for “The Reckoning” was released yesterday, Dec. 11. The series will be aired starting Jan. 2, 2020.
[Nylon]
Screengrab from YouTube
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