A representative for R. Kelly has further denied the BuzzFeed report published on Monday that he is holding young women in a “cult.”
“Mr. Robert Kelly is both alarmed and disturbed by the recent revelations attributed to him,” Kelly’s lawyer Linda Mensch told TMZ and Variety in a statement. “Mr. Kelly unequivocally denies such accusations and will work diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name.”
In the original BuzzFeed story, Mensch responded to the claims as such: “We can only wonder why folks would persist in defaming a great artist who loves his fans, works 24/7, and takes care of all of the people in his life... Like all of us, Mr. Kelly deserves a personal life. Please respect that.”
Reporter Jim DeRogatis—who broke the story about R. Kelly’s behavior with these young women and has been covering reports about the singer’s alleged sexual abuse for years—told Variety in an interview that he expects the parents of the women included in the story to hold a press conference in Atlanta soon.
“The parents intend to come forward — they’ve always wanted to, but we at BuzzFeed would not name the victims of domestic abuse so we are respecting their privacy by not using the parents’ names in the story,” DeRogatis told the publication.