Finally! US celebs are waking up with #MuteRKelly after years of silence
US stars have joined the #MuteRKelly movement which has been reignited by the Times Up campaign, resulting in one of his shows being cancelled.
The call for R Kelly to be "muted" is not new, however it has resurfaced with help of the call by the Times Up's campaign, which gained momentum and attracted a lot of support from big names.
R. Kelly has been accused of sexual relationships with minors going back to 1994, when he married the then 15-year-old pop star, Aaliyah.
According to Vox, in the 24 years since then, Kelly has been sued multiple times for inappropriate sexual contact with a minor, where he settled out of court every time. He was also charged with creating child pornography, but a jury found him not guilty on the grounds that they could not conclusively identify the other figure in his infamous sex tape as a child.
The campaign wants his shows to be cancelled, his contracts terminated and the allegations levelled against him "properly" investigated.
Throughout his career the singer has avoided the claims and denied the allegations that he ran a sex cult with young girls he allegedly keeps as prisoners in his house.
US stars such as John Legend, Viola Davis, Kerry Washington and Lupita Nyong'o are among many that support the movement against him.
Today we join the call to #MuteRKelly and insist on safety & dignity for all women. We demand appropriate investigations and inquiries into the allegations of R. Kelly’s abuse made by women of color & their families for over two decades now. #WOC #TIMESUPhttps://t.co/CG7Y5ZmKyR
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) April 30, 2018
I stand with the women of #timesup#muterkelly. https://t.co/B0yaRj7zdZ
— John Legend (@johnlegend) April 30, 2018
We demand appropriate investigations and inquiries into the allegations of R. Kelly’s abuse. #MuteRKelly #TIMESUP pic.twitter.com/T1Rj6DzhYK
— Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) April 30, 2018
I am unified in solidarity with my sisters. You are not alone. #TimesUp #MuteRKelly https://t.co/GxOnZ9Doxn
— Jussie Smollett (@JussieSmollett) April 30, 2018
I genuinely hope #MuteRKelly works & that he winds up where he belongs. I don't want to hear from anyone justifying decades of him preying on young girls. Please know your conspiracy theories, your rants about #fasttailedgirls etc are proof you're trash. That's it. That's all.
— Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) April 30, 2018
Today we join the call to #MuteRKelly and insist on safety and dignity for women of all kinds. #TIMESUP pic.twitter.com/VcX0xLRnTi
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) April 30, 2018
I knew from the moment I opened my eyes that this day would be long and exhausting. I'm not going to spend more hours fussing w/ Black folks. I love us. Even when...
— Tarana (@TaranaBurke) April 30, 2018
Anyway, leaving these two articles for folks to chew on. ✌🏾 #MuteRKelly https://t.co/rINkr8aggc
Ironically, according to a statement from R Kelly's team, he allegedly also supports the #TimesUp pro-women movement.
He also shared a video in response to the hashtag that caught fire on social media.
Straight from the 👑’s mouth! I love my fans. I love Chicago. Next show: Greensboro, NC May 11. pic.twitter.com/RcbalV0Idc
— R. Kelly (@rkelly) April 30, 2018
Whew. I am 100% behind the #MuteRKelly movement. This statement from his team did him absolutely NO favors. It’s absolutely horrible. For him. Welp. pic.twitter.com/AGTvJRCoW9
— April (@ReignOfApril) April 30, 2018
We are obviously for 'innocent until proven guilty' but where there is 24 years worth of smoke, there's definitely a fire!