K. Michelle is no longer dancing around the R. Kelly<\/a> issue.<\/p>\n During a new appearance on BET\u2019s The Jason Lee Show<\/a>, the singer revealed for the first time that her connection to R. Kelly was more than professional. While discussing his influence on her career and the controversy that has followed him for decades, K. Michelle admitted that the relationship turned romantic.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for Robert Kelly, I would not know the business,\u201d she said. “I would not understand the skills of songwriting.”<\/p>\n COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what’s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n Then she made her most direct statement yet: \u201cI was in love with him.”<\/p>\n K. Michelle has talked about Kelly for years without ever fully describing the nature of their relationship. She has repeatedly credited him with helping shape her understanding of music and songwriting, even as she condemned the allegations against him and the people who protected him.<\/p>\n On the show, she made it clear that she believes responsibility extends far beyond Kelly himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI think mothers and people should be held accountable,\u201d she said. \u201cShould Sparkle go to prison? Absolutely.”<\/p>\n Sparkle \u2014 the Chicago R&B singer who launched her career as one of Kelly\u2019s prot\u00e9g\u00e9s \u2014 publicly denied claims made by her niece, Reshona Landfair. <\/a><\/p>\n In Landfair\u2019s new memoir, Who\u2019s Watching Shorty?, she alleges that adults around her failed to protect her and, in some cases, helped give Kelly access to her.<\/a><\/p>\n Sparkle responded in a social media statement, saying any suggestion that she \u201cgroomed, facilitated, or enabled harm\u201d to her niece is \u201cuntrue and deeply painful.\u201d<\/a> She also said she contacted child welfare authorities when she learned Landfair was spending time alone with Kelly and later testified against him in court.<\/p>\n K. Michelle, however, doubled down on her belief that people around Kelly knew more than they admitted.<\/p>\n “What about all the mothers that was in the kitchen cooking?” she said, recalling comments she made years before Surviving R. Kelly aired. “There were mothers in the kitchen cooking. I\u2019ve never lied.”<\/p>\n She also suggested there is much more she could say. \u201cIf I talk, everybody is going to jail,\u201d K. Michelle said.<\/p>\n Kelly is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.<\/p>\n If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, confidential help is available. In the U.S., contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n R. Kelly Accuser Announces New Memoir, ‘Who’s Watching Shorty?’ <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Sparkle Responds to Niece Reshona Landfair\u2019s \u2018Grooming\u2019 Claim Tied to R. Kelly<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n R. Kelly Survivor Reshonda Landfair Speaks Out in First Public Interview<\/span><\/p>\n Todd Bridges Files for Divorce From Bettijo Hirschi 3 Months After Split<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n ‘Real Housewives’ Alum Jen Shah Takes Full Responsibility for Fraud Scheme After Prison<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\nRelated News<\/h3>\n
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