R. Kelly
In light of the six-part Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, which chronicled the history of allegations brought against R. Kelly by women who claim they were subjects of his abuse, several of his former collaborators and peers within the music industry have spoken out against him.
R. Kelly has consistently denied any allegations of abuse or misconduct and has not been convicted of any crimes connected with the allegations. He has not addressed the below remarks about him publicly.
Lady Gaga
The pop star, who collaborated with R. Kelly on 2013's "Do What You Want," vowed to have the single scrubbed from iTunes and other streaming services in a statement issued Jan. 9.
She explained in part, "What I am hearing about the allegations against R. Kelly is absolutely horrifying and indefensible. As a victim of sexual assault myself, I made both the song and video at a dark time in my life, my intention was to create something extremely defiant and provocative because I was angry and still hadn't processed the trauma that had occurred in my own life... I think it's clear how explicitly twisted my thinking was at the time."
John Legend
After appearing on Lifetime's docuseries, the performer weighed in on the response to Surviving R. Kelly, tweeting on Jan. 3, "To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn't feel risky at all. I believe these women and don't give a f--k about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision."
Cara Delevingne
The supermodel revealed on Jan. 11 that speaking out against R. Kelly cost her 50,000 Instagram followers, writing, "I have always been taught to avoid confrontation at all costs, which caused me to be silent most of my life, silence causes suppression and suppression causes sickness. Not anymore! "Goodbye silence and backwards followers, hello confrontation and forward thinkers... #MuteRKelly."
Chance the Rapper
The hip-hop star called their 2015 duet "Somewhere in Paradise" a "mistake" in an audio recording that aired on Surviving R. Kelly. He further tweeted on Jan. 5, "I apologize to all of his survivors for working with him and for taking so long to speak out."
Keke Palmer
The Scream Queen star, who described herself as a former "student" of R. Kelly's, spoke out against the scorned artist in a lengthy statement on social media on Jan. 9. It read in part, "R. Kelly received that grace from God. God blessed him to vindicate his childhood shortcomings and yet still he has slapped God in the face by his actions towards these women. I am hurt and saddened because he could have been a blessing to these women but instead he repeatedly took advantage and that I cannot accept."
Omarion
The R&B singer announced via Twitter on Jan. 6 his plans to retire his many R. Kelly collaborations, which include "Bump, Bump, Bump" and "What a Girl Wants." Omarion also tweeted, "His artistic genius inspired us all. His music is being muted by the darkness of his actions. The dark always comes to light."
Jojo
In a series of tweets posted on Jan. 5, the singer-songwriter described herself as a "huge" fan of R. Kelly and said she "could have easily fallen victim to someone like R. Kelly" in the early days of her career. She shared in another tweet, "I feel DEEPLY for these COURAGEOUS QUEENS who come forward and in some cases risk their lives [to] share their story & let others know they're not alone!!!! Going up against powerful people/entities [is] f--king intimidating/ terrifying."
Ne-Yo
The R&B singer spoke out in support of the #MuteRKelly hashtag, writing on Instagram, "There is NO excuse. Music is important. It really is. But it's not more important than protecting our children, protecting our little girls. PERIOD."