Joycelyn Savage, one of singer R. Kellys girlfriends, who has been living with him since she was 19, says she is “a victim” of his sexual and psychological abuse.
Kelly has been incarcerated since July on multiple allegations of sexual abuse in three states.
Until recently, Savage was one of Kelly’s defenders. In her first post to a Patreon page created to share her testimonials, Savage, 24, explained that after meeting the 52-year-old singer, who she refers to by his given name, Robert, at a concert in 2015, he flew her and a friend to California, promising her that he’d help her realise her dreams of becoming a model and singer, reports variety.com.
“Robert would always look at me in a sexual way the first couple of times we met occasionally,” she wrote.
She continued that after she gave him her CD, he said he could help her become like the late R&B artist Aaliyah, who Kelly allegedly married in 1994 when she was 15.
Savage explained that all her expenses were covered by Kelly and that she recorded a few songs in his studio that has “never seen the day of light”.
She wrote that in 2015, she fell in love with Kelly, but after a few months, Kelly began telling her to always address him as “master” or “daddy”.
“It started getting worse by day by day, he would raise his voice at me if I didn’t call him by those two names,” the post reads. “If Robert called me I would have to reply with ‘Yes, daddy’ or ‘Please daddy’ he was so controlling.”
In response to the post, Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, said in a statement to Variety: “It is unfortunate that Joycelyn now seeks to make money by exploiting her long time, loving relationship with Robert. Obviously, if she were, to tell the truth, no one would pay so she has, unfortunately, chosen to regurgitate the stories and lies told by others for her own personal profit. We know the real facts, and it was not until the money ran out that she decided anything was wrong. Hopefully, people will see it for the obvious profiteering it is.”
Savage’s accounts are similar to other girls and women who have claimed Kelly abused them, particularly in the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly”.
Kelly has denied all claims of physical or sexual abuse and domestic violence.