R Kelly is a ‘predator’ whose fame brought ‘access to girls, boys and young women’, court told
R Kelly is a “predator” whose fame brought him “access to girls, boys and young women”, a court has been told on the opening day of his trial over sexual abuse.
The trial, which is set to last for about a month, is expected to include testimony from some female accusers and at least one male accuser, with some allegations going back 20 years.
Kelly, a three-time Grammy winner whose hits include I Believe I Can Fly, Bump ‘N’ Grind and Ignition, has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery, and strongly denied any wrongdoing. His defence lawyers have told jurors they will have to sift through “a mess of lies” and that any “relationships” were “consenting”.
The singer pictured in a courtroom sketch on the opening day of the trial
But in her opening statement, Assistant US Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told the jury in New York that the R&B singer used his fame to entice his alleged victims and that he “dominated and controlled them physically, sexually and psychologically”.
The 54-year-old would often record sex acts with minors and controlled a racketeering enterprise of managers, bodyguards and other people who were eager to “fulfill each and everyone one of the defendant’s wishes and demands”, she said, adding that “what his success and popularity brought him was access – access to girls, boys and young women”.
“This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot,” Ms Melendez told the court in Brooklyn. “This case is about a predator.”
She described the singer as “a man who used lies, manipulation, threats and physical abuse to dominate his victims and to avoid accountability for years”.
The trial is under way following several delays, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an anonymous jury of seven men and five women sworn in to hear proceedings.
Following Ms Melendez’s speech, one of Kelly’s lawyers, Nicole Blank Becker, gave her opening statement, saying some of his accusers enjoyed the “notoriety of being able to tell their friends that they were with a superstar” and that there were “gaps” in the case.
Kelly did not “recruit” them, Ms Blank Becker told the court. “They were fans,” she said. “They came to Mr Kelly.”
She urged jurors to scrutinise the testimonies they will hear during the trial. “They knew exactly what they were getting into,” she said, adding that “it was no secret Mr Kelly had multiple girlfriends. He was quite transparent”.
Kelly is one of the world’s biggest recording artists, despite allegations throughout his career. Pic: Frank Micelotta/Invision/AP
The idea of Kelly leading an elaborate criminal enterprise would be a stretch, the lawyer said, before telling the court: “Don’t assume everybody’s telling the truth.”
In previous court papers, Kelly’s legal team has characterised his accusers as “disgruntled groupies” who were “dying to be with him”. They only started accusing him of abuse years later when public sentiment shifted in the #MeToo era, they say.
The singer, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is accused of requiring his alleged victims to demonstrate “absolute commitment” and obey strict rules, including that they eat or go to the bathroom only with his permission, not look at other men, and call him “Daddy”.
Nine charges describe his alleged mistreatment of five female accusers, identified only as “Jane Does” in court, three of whom were said to be underage at the time. One accuser said Kelly failed to tell her that he had herpes when he had unprotected sex with her.
Prosecutors say alleged victims were selected at concerts and other venues and arrangements were made for them to travel to see Kelly in the New York City area and elsewhere, in violation of the Mann Act, the 1910 law that made it illegal to “transport any woman or girl” across state lines “for any immoral purpose”.
R&B singer and actress Aaliyah married R Kelly when she was 15. She died in a plane crash in 2001, just months after this picture was taken. Pic: AP
The singer’s 1994 marriage to Aaliyah is also expected to come up during the trial. Prosecutors are aiming to show he bribed an official to obtain fake identification for the singer, who was 15 at the time – he was 27 – so that they could get married. Kelly believed he had got Aaliyah pregnant, and hoped a marriage would keep her from having to testify against him, prosecutors will argue.
Aaliyah, identified as Jane Doe #1 in the indictment, died in a plane crash in 2001.
Kelly’s trial in New York comes after years of suspicions and accusations against him. In 2008, he went on trial in Illinois facing child pornography charges, but was acquitted.
Many of the allegations were featured in the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R Kelly, which aired early in 2019. The first of the latest charges against him were made shortly afterwards.
Kelly, who last released a studio album in 2016, could face years in prison if he is found guilty. But the New York case is only part of the legal issues the singer is facing, with sex abuse charges brought in Illinois and Minnesota, too – to which he has also pleaded not guilty.
Women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred is in court for the trial. Pic: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
R Kelly’s attorneys Nicole Becker and Thomas Farinella. Pic: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
Women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred was among those seen entering the court before the start of the hearing on Wednesday.
“All I can say is that I’m very confident that the court will afford a fair trial both to Mr Kelly and also to the persons who allege that they are victims,” she told reporters.
Ms Becker and Thomas Farinella, another of Kelly’s lawyers, also spoke outside court.
“We’ve been preparing and ready to go,” said Mr Farinella. “Excited for Mr Kelly to have his day in court.”
Jamie Foxx has revealed some of the details behind the “medical emergency” that left him in hospital last year.
The Oscar-winning star was filmed chatting to fans in downtown Phoenix, appearing to answer a question about his mystery health scare.
In the short video, shared on TikTok by a fan called Dr Brenda Combs, Foxx can be seen wearing white shorts and a black T-shirt outside a café.
The 56-year-old said: “April 11 last year, bad headache, I asked my boy for an Advil,” then clicking his fingers went on, “I was gone for 20 days. I don’t remember anything.”
He then explained: “So, they told me, I’m in Atlanta, they told me, my sister and my daughter, they took me to the first doctor.
“Next doctor said, ‘Something going on up there’, at which point Foxx points up to his head.
He concluded, “I won’t say it on camera,” looking towards the person filming him talking.
The Django Unchained star was reportedly taken ill in Atlanta while filming a movie with Cameron Diaz called Back In Action.
Jamie Foxx with his daughter Corinne in 2021. Pic:AP
In December, he made his first big public appearance after coming out of hospital, appearing at the Critics Choice awards where he was honoured with a Vanguard Award for his performance in comedy-drama The Burial.
‘I did go to hell and back’
While accepting the award Foxx told the audience he had been unable to walk during his illness, and the fight for his health had given him “a new respect for life… [and] for my art”.
He has maintained a relatively low profile during his recovery, but speaking in a video shared with fans last summer he said he went “to hell and back” while being treated in hospital.
He said: “I didn’t want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through.”
The actor, comedian and singer added that he would rather fans see him “laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie”.
Foxx, who scooped up awards for playing Ray Charles in the 2004 film Ray, also said his sister Deidra and daughter Corinne had saved his life.
He also debunked claims he had been blinded or paralysed during his illness.
Last May, Foxx announced he would become the host of a US musical game show, We Are Family, alongside his daughter Corinne, due to air later this year on the Fox network.
Back In Action, the movie he was filming when he fell ill, is due out in November.
Pearl Jam have cancelled two more tour dates due to illness, after pulling out of a London gig last week.
The rock group had been due to play in Berlin on Tuesday and Wednesday but called it off because “the band has yet failed to make a full recovery”.
The type of illness, or which band members have been affected, has not been revealed.
They said tickets would be refunded at point of purchase, adding that while they wished “a reschedule had been possible for this tour leg” they “hope to come back to Berlin soon”.
On Friday, they cancelled their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium show scheduled for Saturday night due to illness in the band, saying they had “no other option”.
The band said in a statement shared on Instagram: “We are sorry to share that the Pearl Jam concerts scheduled for Tuesday, July 2nd and Wednesday, July 3rd in Berlin are cancelled.
“Despite everyone’s best efforts, the band has yet to make a full recovery.”
They went on: “The impacts of this decision are not lost on us. We feel deeply that so many people spend their time, money, and emotional energy to get tickets and then to come see the band and it is heart wrenching to have to disappoint you.
“We also appreciate the many people whose hard work goes into making these shows happen.”
“Please trust we never take these decisions lightly and try to do everything possible to show up for you all.”
The statement concluded: “Thank you for continued understanding and support, it means the world.”
Pic: Reuters
The band, which formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990, is fronted by Eddie Vedder, along with lead guitarist Mike McCready, drummer Matt Cameron, bass guitarist Jeff Ament and rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard.
They are currently touring the world to promote their latest album, Dark Matter.
Support acts include former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft and Irish indie rockers The Murder Capital.
Their next live show is currently scheduled for 6 July in Barcelona.
The band are set to launch the US leg of their tour on 26 August.
Will Smith has made his first major award ceremony appearance since facing widespread criticism for slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.
The 55-year-old Hollywood star performed his new song – You Can Make It – at the 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.
It was a rare live appearance from the Men In Black actor, who was banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years following the televised slap, which occurred moments before he won his first Oscar.
For his performance, Smith stood in a circle of fire on an apocalyptic landscape, with a large sun rising behind him.
Smith opened the song by saying to the audience: “I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but whatever’s going on in your life, I’m here to tell you, you can make it.”
Lyrics to the song include: “The darker the hell you gotta endure, the brighter the heaven you get to enjoy.
“The harder the fall, the higher you soar, God opens a window when the devil closes the door.
“Believe me, they tried to bleed Will Smith, in the rearview, I see adversity was the gift.”
Smith was joined by singer and songwriter Fridayy and the gospel choir Sunday Service, who encircled him above from a high platform.
Smith’s collaborator on the song, Kirk Franklin, also came onto the stage and rapped during the song, telling the audience that no one “is on a bad chapter forever”.
Smith closed the song with the lyrics: “We are not being punished we are forged. Dance in your darkest moments.”
Fresh Prince’s big comeback
Smith teased his upcoming album, Dance In Your Darkest Moments, last month. It comes nearly 20 years after his last studio album, Lost And Found, which he released in 2005.
Many see this as part of a well-orchestrated comeback, a feat almost as tough as his 26,000-mile trek from the South Pole to the North Pole for the Disney and National Geographic nature show he fronted, Welcome To Earth, in December.
Ahead of his song’s release on Friday, Smith shared a video of him playing the piano, with the message: “Through some of my darkest moments, music has always been there for me – to lift me and help me grow.
“It’s my humble wish that it can do the same for you and bring you all the joy and light you deserve.”
Pic: Columbia Pictures
Smith first shot to international fame in the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, a role he won after becoming the first rapper to win a Grammy award, in 1989 for his song alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff, Parents Just Don’t Understand.
The pair went on to record five hip-hop albums together, with hit songs including Summertime and Boom! Shake The Room.
As a solo artist, he released four albums, with number-one tracks including Getting’ Jiggy Wit It and Wild Wild West, and winning four Grammys.
Big win, and big mistake
Smith went on to conquer Hollywood, starring in blockbuster movies including Bad Boys, Men In Black and Independence Day, along with his critically acclaimed performance as Muhammad Ali in the 2001 film Ali, which earned him the first of three Oscar nominations.
But he did not receive Academy recognition until 2022, taking home best actor for his role in the sports drama King Richard, in which he played Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams.
However, his biggest career achievement to date was overshadowed by his on-stage actions.
Now, two years after the event, this rare stage appearance follows the success of his latest movie, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, which has stormed the box office, and taken over $330m (£260m) globally.
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