R Kelly is still behind bars for his sex trafficking and racketeering conviction, and still going viral for his prison 'fits. But he also found himself in a new topic of controversy recently... Or rather, his interviewers did. Podcasters April Smith and Patricia Dillard recently had a conversation with the disgraced R&B singer on their Inmate Tea With A&P program, and many criticized their decision to allow him a platform. According to TMZ, they told the outlet that the interview came about unintentionally. They were apparently interviewing another inmate who told them Kelly was nearby before putting him on the phone.
Furthermore, you may have already seen that R. Kelly sang during this podcast interview, and he made some other remarks about his situation. "Well, singing is a beautiful disease that’s incurable," he remarked when asked about what he's doing in jail as far as his career and art. "That’s not gonna happen, stopping singing. I don’t care where I’m at. I’m always singing, I’m always writing. I’ve written, like, 25 albums since I been in here, and right now I’m just working on getting out… I’m using patience as a tactic right now."
R Kelly Appeal
Smith and Dillard reportedly shared that they "separate the art from the artist" and that gag rules protected them from discussing any case-related topics. "When [he] calls, you answer," they reportedly expressed, pointing to their mission of prison reform and advocacy for inmate conditions. So it seems like this wasn't a strong enough cancelation. Elsewhere, R. Kelly continues to deal with due public scrutiny against him for his convictions and crimes, such as his legal team blasting SNL for mocking him. "Rather arrogant that SNL sees it as their job to decide, belatedly, who should and should not be canceled," his lawyer Jennifer Bonjean stated following the comedy show's 50th anniversary celebrations, which called Kelly one of the sketch staple's past problematic guests. Bonjean also pointed to other embattled celebrities that they left out of their segment, although she didn't nam any specific individuals.
Unfortunately for the Chicago native, it seems like he will have a hard time reversing and overturning many legal moves against him. The court rejected R. Kelly's appeal motion in his sex trafficking case, and other attempts to make his situation better haven't found much more success. It seems unlikely that this will change in the near future, but then again, we can't rule anything out these days.
