R. Kelly is not holding me captive, woman says
A woman has denied claims by her parents that she is being held against her will in a “cult” by R&B star R. Kelly.
Jocelyn Savage, 21, conducted a video interview from an undisclosed location a day after her family held a press conference claiming she had been brainwashed by the controversial singer.
Savage told the celebrity news site TMZ: “I’m 21, I’m about to be 22 in a few days, and I just mainly want to say that I am not being brainwashed or anything like that.
“I just want everyone to know, my parents and everyone in the world, I am totally fine and everything’s OK with me. I’ve never been feeling hostage or anything like that, ever.”
Savage’s parents alleged she was being held against her will and suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.
Asked by TMZ if she was in Atlanta, where her parents believe she is, Savage said: “No, I’m not.”
Asked if she had roommates and was free to go, she said: “I won’t speak on that.”
R. Kelly, 50, denied allegations made in an article by BuzzFeed News that he’s keeping six aspiring singers in a “cult” atmosphere.
The story, posted Monday, detailed several parents’ attempts to contact and free their daughters from Kelly’s properties in Chicago and Duluth, Georgia. Former members of his inner circle — Cheryl Mack, Kitti Jones and Asante McGee — allege that he controls what the women can and cannot do.
They told BuzzFeed the women, ranging from two teenagers to a 31-year-old “den mother,” are required to refer to Kelly as “Daddy” and must ask for permission to leave the properties. Kelly reportedly confiscated their cellphones, dictates their daily activities, and films their sexual encounters.
“R. Kelly is the sweetest person you will ever want to meet,” McGee told BuzzFeed. “But Robert is the devil.”
The parents of one teenager last saw their daughter, a singer, in December. They told BuzzFeed it seemed as though she had been “brainwashed.”
“I hope that if I get her back, I can get her treatment for victims of cults,” the mother said. “They can reprogram her. But I wish I could have stopped it from happening.”
The performer’s lawyer, Linda Mensch, said Tuesday that he denies all the allegations and will work “forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name.”
The artist has long been a controversial figure. He was accused of sexual misconduct when he allegedly married R&B singer Aaliyah, then 15, in 1994 after serving as the primary songwriter on her debut album. According to a 2000 Chicago SunTimes story, Aaliyah ended the marriage after her family found out.