R. Kelly, Jailed Over Failure to Pay Child Support

R. Kelly

Kelly is currently back behind bars following a Wednesday child support hearing, at which he was charged with failure to pay $161,000 in back child support. Failure to pay child support in any amount over $20,000 is a felony under Illinois law.

Kelly's Chicago publicist, Darryll Johnson, told USA TODAY Thursday that while Kelly waits in jail, his team is trying to get together the full amount he owes to hand over to his ex-wife as soon as possible. Johnson confirmed the judge told Kelly at the child-support hearing Wednesday that he would stay in jail until he pays it all.

In his interview with King, Kelly pointed the finger at his former spouse, Andrea Kelly, with whom he shares three children. Andrea Kelly alleged she was abused by the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer in the bombshell documentary "Surviving R. Kelly," which aired on Lifetime in January. Kelly denied his ex's charge on "CBS This Morning."

“How can I pay child support? How, if my ex-wife is destroying my name and I can’t work?” Kelly wondered screaming and crying. “How can I work? How can I get paid? How can I take care of my kids? How?”

Andrea, who was married to Kelly for 13 years, claims Kelly stopped paying child support in June 2018 when she first spoke out against him.
"How can I pay child support? How?! If my ex-wife is destroying my name and I can't work? How can I work? How can I get paid? How can I take care of my kids? How?" -- R. Kelly said through tears.

Kelly claimed to King that “So many people (connected to my bank account) have been stealin' my money.” He said about three weeks before the sit-down he ventured to a Bank of America by himself for the first time seeking answers.
“Didn't know what I was doing. Didn't know what the hell was going on…” he said, adding he was “so tired of not knowing” the whereabouts of his money.
Kelly said he was informed he had about $350,000 in the bank, which he told the teller to move into a new account.

Kelly said of his lack of awareness about his finances, “A lot of it’s on me.” But the notion that he lacked funds due to settlements he wrote off as a “Lie.”
According to court documents, R. Kelly settled three lawsuits with women who allege they were minors when he had sex with them. But Kelly said what really cost him is the people who had access to his bank account, something he found out from a bank teller.