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R Kelly's estranged daughter, Joann Kelly (known as Buku Abi) is now speaking out following the airing of explosive Lifetime documentary, Surviving R Kelly.

Buku Abi's father has been under increased spotlight since the horrific sexual abuse allegations were broadcasted in the six-hour series, and now his daughter is voicing her support for his victims.

In a lengthy Instagram post, she wrote a testimonial where she referred to her apparent sexual predator father as a 'monster'.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on

She writes that it has taken her "three days just to find the right words" to include in her message, following 30 years of disturbing abuse claims against R Kelly.

Celebrities and the public alike were deeply shocked at the magnitude of the allegations, which featured dozens of his apparent victims telling their stories.

Their testimonies shared the same stomach-churning pattern of sexual assault, rape, mind-control as well as physical and mental abuse.

A number of women were allegedly held hostage in his homes, and some still remain in his custody. His daughter is now sharing her story.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Buku Abi (@bu.k.u) on

Abi writes in a letter that she no longer has any relationship with her biological father, and her and her siblings have not had contact with him in years.

“My mother ( R. Kelly's ex-wife Andrea Kelly), siblings, and I would never condone, support or be apart of ANYTHING negative he has done and continues to do in his life,” she claims.

“The same monster you all confronting me about is my father. I am well aware of who and what he is,” she added, in what must have been a difficult post for her to curate.

“I grew up in that house. My choice to not speak on him and what he does is for my peace of mind. My emotional state. And for MY healing. I have to do and move in a manner that is best for me.”

"Going through all I have gone through in my life, I would never want anyone to feel the pain I have felt."

"Reminders of how terrible my father is, and how we should be speaking up against him, rude comments about my family, fabricating me, my siblings, & our mother's "part," etc., does not help my family in our healing process."

"Nor does it allow a safe space for other victims who are scared to speak up, speak up."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Buku Abi (@bu.k.u) on

Lastly, she offers her prayers for his victims, showing her support for their recovery as well as emphasising how hard this period has been on herself;

"I pray for all the families & women who have been affected by my father's actions. Trust, I have been deeply affected by all of this. However, it has been very difficult to process it all."

"I am speaking from the heart, nothing I say or do not say is to hurt any party reading or affected by this. To the people that feel I should be speaking up/against everything that is going on right now," she continued.

"I just want you all to understand that devastated is an understatement for all that I feel currently. I do apologise if my silence to all that is happening comes off as careless," she concludes.

She makes sure to thank the public for the support and love which she and her family have received in the wake of the documentary.

The R&B singer is now under criminal investigation in Atlanta and Illinois.

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Warning: this article may be upsetting for anyone who has experienced sexual abuse, assault or harassment.

In case you've missed the drama surrounding R Kelly following the release of a six-hour length Lifetime documentary regarding his sexual predation, the explosive TV episodes have one again brought the dangerous rapper to light.

Horrifying allegations have been made against singer R Kelly for three decades, including an upsetting trial involving 21 counts of child pornography.

The six-part documentary made by Dream Hampton, Surviving R Kelly, retraced reports of the R&B artist's consistent manipulation and abuse of underage girls and sexual misconduct going back 30 years, for which he has never faced any consequences.

Lady Gaga is now being sufficiently ROASTED for declining to appear in the documentary, despite having collaborated with him back in 2013 on the (ironic) track Do What U Want.

Twitter users are calling her out on her debated hypocrisy, as she plays a large role in the #MeToo movement and declared that she has had her own abuser, though won't name him, yet works with known paedophiles.

Her silence in 2019 on the issue has allowed the public to instead retrace a damaging 2013 interview, where the Shallow singer DEFENDS him while in Japan; 

"R Kelly and I have sometimes, very untrue things written about us, so in a way this was a bond between us." Whoa, whoa, whoa. This doesn't look good for Gaga, we have to admit.

She is choosing to remain silent for the moment, though more than a dozen victims who claim to have been raped, enslaved and abused while underage by Kelly have spoken out in the documentary.

Gaga was one of many celebrities who declined to participate in the Surviving R Kelly series, as well as Jay-Z (another collaborator), Dave Chapelle and Mary J Blige.

The move has angered many Gaga fans, given her public history of supporting sexual assault victims.

The rage online is palpable, as numerous fans have pointed out that this exact silence is how Kelly has been left to his own enabled devices for years.

In reality, he has had a support system around him who helped him with his predation.

Despite his child pornography trial taking place in 2002, hundreds of high profile celebrities have collaborated with him since, and are potentially only appearing regretful now because it is damaging to their brand.

A conversation has also arisen surrounding the notion of sexual assault victims and race, with many pointing out that if these women had been black, their stories may have ended differently.

Chance the Rapper has apologised for collaborating with the singer, but upset many people by admitting that he didn't care about the women because they were, in fact, black.

"Making a song with R. Kelly was a mistake. I didn't value the accusers' stories because they were black."

His honesty may be important in continuing this important talk, but the words have understandably hurt millions of women of the black community, who face oppression daily in America.

He later apologised for the quotes, saying they were taken out of context and explaining that the focus should be on the fact that those young black victims were never cared for.

Jada Pinkett Smith is among the celebrities who are asking the same imperative question; Do young black women matter?

Dream Hampton, executive producer of the show, told the Detroit Free Press that;

“It was incredibly difficult to get people who had collaborated with Kelly to come forward." Heartbreakingly, even friends such as Questlove declined to appear, despite believing the accusers' words.

John Legend was the only high-profile person who appeared in the film, writing on Twitter that it was an "easy decision":

#MeToo founder Tarana Burke also appeared in the documentary, as well as talk show host Wendy Williams and R. Kelly's ex-wife Andrea Kelly.

R&B legend Ne-Yo has posted his support for the series, saying that music cannot matter more than the lives of young black women.

Separating the man from the art must be examined as problematic; ignoring the actions of one can harm so many others.

R. Kelly has continuously denied the allegations and was acquitted in 2002 of child pornography charges, yet the evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.

The documentary is massively upsetting to watch, with woman after woman telling stories with paralleling patterns of his behaviour.

Families of young women are still claiming that their daughters are being held captive by R. Kelly as 'sex slaves.'

Chicago reporter Jim DeRogatis made a report in July of 2017 in which he asserts that Kelly keeps his victims captive in Chicago and Atlanta, and two victims (Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary) remain in his captivity.

"When u say teenage, how old are we talking" #RKelly #muterkelly #survivingrkelly pic.twitter.com/888SaTEBXx

Human rights organisation BlackWomensBlueprint tweeted,

"The sad truth is survivors still face push-back from naysayers who question their stories or dismiss the crisis of sexual assault- especially against black women and girls. It's a terrible burden to have to endure."

Jerhonda Pace, a survivor of R.Kelly, said, “I felt like a prisoner. I didn’t have anyone to talk to. It was just me. I went into a depression. I was mentally drained, because he would break me down, then build me up, then make me feel like sh*t again, then do it all over again."

"He would really manipulate my mind. The breaking point for me was when Rob slapped me, and he choked me until I blacked out," she concluded.

Let's not forget that when the singer was 27-years-old, he forged then 15-year-old R&B sensation Aaliyah's documents to claim she was 18 in order to marry her. 

The Princess of Urban Pop later died in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001 after the unlicensed pilot had cocaine and alcohol in his system.

The documentary's film-maker Dream Hampton claims she hopes "Surviving R. Kelly" serves as a starter tool to "shift culture" and "talk about rape culture and organise against patriarchy, which harms us all."

Non-for-profit advocacy organisation Color of Change tweeted the "strength of black women & girls is determined by how much suffering we can endure. The women in #SurvivingRKelly are our heroes."

Let's hope the conversation will finally spark action and justice for these women.

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I’ve been a Taylor Swift fan since my early teens so when I found out I was going to her Dublin show on the Reputation tour I was overjoyed. I couldn’t help but shed a few happy tears.

I know she isn’t everyone's cup of tea, some people find her fake, others think her music is cringey, but one thing you must applaud her for is how she opened up about being a victim of sexual assault.

August 14 marked the one year anniversary of the day the jury sided in the singer’s favour in her case against former radio host David Mueller.

 

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on

As she looked out at a crowd of loving fans, Taylor opened up about the trial: “A year ago I was not playing in a stadium in Tampa, I was in a courtroom in Denver, Colorado. This is the day the jury sided in my favor and said that they believed me.”

The Delicate singer welled up as she spoke about all of the victims who were ignored and pushed aside. The ones who weren’t taken seriously. The ones who weren’t listened to.

 

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on

“I just think about all the people that weren’t believed and the people who haven’t been believed, and the people who are afraid to speak up because they think they won’t be believed,” Taylor said.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry to anyone who ever wasn’t believed because I don’t know what turn my life would have taken if somebody didn’t believe me when I said something had happened to me.”

The You Belong With Me continued: "I just wanted to say we have so much further to go, and I’m so grateful to you guys for being there for me for what was really a horrible part of my life.”

Taylor thanked her fans for seeing her through all the good times- the number one songs, the sold out tours and the awards- and the bad times- the breakups, the online abuse and the groping trial.

She addressed the crowd: “I wanted to say that I’m so happy to see you and to have you and know you through the ups and the downs in my life.”

The singer struggled to hold back her tears during the moving speech: “Sorry I just haven’t really talked about it, and so I’m just not composed at all.”

Following the Look What You Made Me Do singer's tear-jerking speech, fans held up $1 notes to support Taylor and survivors of sexual abuse. 

Reasons like this remind me of why I have adored the Call It What You Want singer since I was a teenager. Sure, you may not enjoy her music, but her courage is something we should all appreciate.

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Across London and around the world, the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire are being honoured.

The fire began in the wee hours of the morning on June 14, 2017. The tower, currently covered in white sheeting with a heart at the top of each side, was lit up in green at 12:54am this morning, marking the time that the blaze was reported last year.

The victims' names were read aloud at 1:30am at a vigil at a nearby church, the BBC reports.

According to Kensington and Chelsea Council, a number of the households who survived are still displaced.

68 households are in emergency accommodation, with 42 staying in hotels, 22 in serviced apartments, and the remaining four with family or friends.

Another 52 households are situated in temporary accommodation and 83 are in permanent homes.

One of the survivors, Natasha Elcock, appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme and commended her community for their response to the tragedy:

"We could have been the most angry community out there because of what happened, but we've chosen to be dignified, be calm. Ultimately, that's earned us respect."

Natasha, who is a member of survivor group Grenfell United, continued:

"We really want to ensure that we change so much that Grenfell is not remembered because it killed 72 people but because it has a legacy of change – that behaviours change within social housing, the way people are treated, how they are listened to."

A minute of silence will be observed at midday in the UK to pay tribute to the victims of the fire.

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton noted, "One year ago today London changed forever. The tragic and unprecedented fire at Grenfell Tower will never be forgotten.

“At midday today, London Fire Brigade will fall silent in memory of all those who died or lost loved ones, their homes and possessions.

“As well as honouring the memory of the lives lost, we pay tribute to the resilience and spirit of the local community."

She added, "I know I speak on behalf of everyone at London Fire Brigade when I say that you are never far from our minds."

"We want the nation to keep Grenfell in their consciousness," Justice 4 Grenfell campaign group member Yvette Williams told the BBC.

"The anniversary is about love and support – the fight can start again on Friday and Saturday – and keeping that humanity going on that day."

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The uncovering of Harvey Weinstein's sexual crimes in October of this year laid the entertainment industry bare.

For decades it seems, Hollywood has been a breeding ground for sexual predators and miscreants.

And it's an unfortunate truth, but for every person who rightfully places blame at the predator's feet, someone else is ready to place it at the victim's.

This reaction is all the more damaging when women hold other women accountable for the misconduct of men, as Pamela Anderson appeared to do during a recent interview with NBC.

Speaking to Megyn Kelly, the former Baywatch star, who has been candid about her own experience of sexual violence as a child and adolescent, said she subsequently avoided dangerous situations by employing some 'common sense."

"I learned never to put myself in those situations again,” she said. “When I came to Hollywood, of course, I had a lot of offers to do private auditions and things that make absolutely no sense. Just common sense."

"Don’t go into a hotel room alone. If someone answers a door in a bathrobe, leave. Things that are common sense. But I know Hollywood is very seductive and people want to be famous and sometimes you think you’re going to be safe with an adult in the room."

Alluding to certain individuals within the entertainment industry, Pamela suggested that those who fell foul did not properly heed warnings.

"I think it was common knowledge that certain producers and certain people in Hollywood are people to avoid, privately. You know what you’re getting into when you go to a hotel room alone."

Unsurprisingly, the Canadian star has faced serious backlash on Twitter in the wake of the interview, with one social media user writing: "Here’s a very stupid woman saying very stupid things about very brave women."

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Victims of sexual abuse have taken to Twitter today in a campaign that hopes to demonstrate the scale and severity of the issue at hand. 

It comes after allegations made against the famed producer, Harvey Weinstein, sent shock waves through the entertainment industry, prompting men and women all over the world to come forward and tell their stories. 

As the conversation around sexual abuse and harassment remains more open than ever, actress Alyssa Milano has created a platform for victims to come forward in a show of solidarity. 

Tweeting yesterday, the star asked any of her followers who had experienced sexual harassment or assault to tweet out two simple words – 'Me too'.

Responses came flooding in almost immediately, with big names such as Lady GaGa and Debra Messing showing support. 

Here are just some of the stories from brave victims who have spoken out today:

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