Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Growing up, R Kelly’s elder sister, Theresa Kelly, used to look after him and his siblings along with their single mother, Joanne. R Kelly, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, is now in jail for multiple sex crimes. He also faces numerous other allegations of sexual assault and abuse. Lifetime’s acclaimed Surviving R Kelly focuses on Kelly’s crimes and convictions. The documentary series premiered in 2019 and comprises three seasons, each making shocking revelations about the R&B singer.
R Kelly’s siblings, who participated in the documentary series, spoke about his childhood. His brothers, Bruce and Carey Kelly, also opened up about the alleged abuse that the singer claimed he suffered from. The singer had talked about someone close to the family sexually abusing him when he was seven or right in a 2016 GQ interview. He claimed the abuse continued for years, and his brothers backed his claims.
In Surviving R Kelly, Carey claimed he was also a victim of sexual abuse and believed his brother’s claims. Subsequent revelations alleged that R Kelly’s elder sister, Theresa Kelly, had molested him and his brother during their childhood years. The R&B singer’s lawyer later brought up his claims in his defense to secure a shorter sentence during the second trial in 2022. R Kelly received a 20-year prison sentence to run simultaneously with the existing 30-year term from his first 2021 conviction.
What did R Kelly accuse his sister Theresa Kelly of?
According to Complex, R Kelly’s brother Carey claimed that their elder sister, Theresa Kelly, abused them as children. The alleged abuse first came up during Kelly’s interview with GQ in 2016. The singer had claimed a relative sexually abused him when he was seven or eight, alleging that it continued for years. In Surviving R Kelly, his brother Carey addressed the claims and said, “I was molested by a family member.”
People Magazine reported that Carey revealed knowing “it wasn’t right even though I was 6 at the time. I was afraid to tell my mom.” He recalled telling his elder brother R Kelly about “what happened to me,” but “he didn’t really respond to it like I thought he should.” Carey stated that Kelly told him, “‘That didn’t happen to you.’”
While Carey didn’t explicitly name his and R Kelly’s elder sister, he later alleged it was Theresa Kelly who had perpetrated the abuse. Complex stated that Carey, during an interview with Tasha K, claimed Theresa was their abuser. He said it started when they were “around” 6 and 10 years old, and their sister was a teen of “maybe 15” or 16.
Reportedly, Carey spoke about an instance when Theresa “didn’t have anything on up under the robe.” He claimed their sister “told me to come over to her.” He recalled being “confused” in his mind “as a kid” of not more than six and “because this my sister.” Carey added, “I know this wrong. She’s way older than me. At first, I thought she was playing . . . I was hesitant so she grabbed my arm.”
Among other allegations, R Kelly’s brother claimed that their elder sister, Theresa Kelly, forced him to have oral sex contact. Carey claimed their mother never knew. He said, “I was afraid to tell her and I knew that my sister was the only one to watch us.”
While speaking about the alleged abuse, R Kelly did not name his sister. The singer only used “relative” to describe the relationship. However, during R Kelly’s 2022 trial, his lawyer presented the allegations in court, reported Business Insider. The lawyer requested the federal judge presiding to hand him a reduced term of no more than 10 years in prison. His lawyer claimed the abuse Kelly faced at the hands of his sister as a child caused his “hypersexual” behavior.
R Kelly is now serving his jail term in North Carolina’s FCI Butner Medium I.
