In his first interview since being charged with sexually abusing four people, including three underage girls, R. Kelly says he "didn't do this stuff" and that he's being "assassinated."
Kelly, one of the best-selling music artists of all time, told Gayle King of "CBS This Morning" that he never sexually abused women or controlled their lives. The 52-year-old singer was charged last month with sexually abusing four females dating back to 1998, including three underage girls.
The often emotional R&B singer repeatedly said that his accusers "are lying on me," calling the allegations of abuse false rumors and saying that it would have been "stupid" to have done what he's accused of after he already faced child pornography charges a decade ago.
"Hate me if you want to, love me if you want. But just use your common sense," he said. "How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I've been through — oh right now I just think I need to be a monster, and hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement, and don't let them eat, and don't let them out."
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse filed against him last month.
The allegations date back as far as 1998 and span more than a decade. One of the four alleged victims is a 16-year-old girl whom prosecutors say Kelly had sex with multiple times after she approached him during his child pornography trial in 2008. He also allegedly slapped, choked and spit on her.
Other allegations were recently aired in a Lifetime documentary, "Surviving R. Kelly," and a BBC documentary, that detailed him allegedly holding women against their will and running a "sex cult."
Kelly said that everyone in the Lifetime series was lying, saying he's made mistakes for which he's apologized but isn't the "Lucifer" that they were describing. He denied doing anything against women's will and suggested his accusers are repeating rumors they've found on the internet.
At one point during the interview, Kelly stood up and said, "I have been assassinated, I have been buried alive." He said he needs someone to help him "not have a big heart."
"You all don't want to believe the truth," he said.
When pressed about whether he was attracted to younger women, the 52-year-old Kelly said: "I'm an older man who loves all women." He acknowledged living and being in a relationship with two young women.
CBS said it interviewed Kelly for 80 minutes. More of the interview is expected to air Thursday.
Interviews with the two women who live with Kelly will air Friday, including one woman whose parents say is being held against her will. Kelly suggested the young woman's parents were in it for the money and put blame on them for his relationship with their daughter, saying they brought her to watch him perform when she was a teenager.
The recording artist has been trailed for decades by allegations that he violated underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves. Kelly has consistently denied any sexual misconduct, and he was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.
As part of his current case, Kelly is forbidden from having any contact with females younger than 18.
The woman who bailed Kelly out of jail last week told NBC 5 she has known the R&B singer for years, considers him a good friend and posted his bond because “he needed help.”
Valencia Love said Kelly, who spent three nights in Cook County Jail on criminal sexual abuse charges, told her he is innocent. She told NBC 5 in a phone interview that she wants his case to be heard in court and not the media.
The Blast reported the businesses Love owns is receiving a deluge of negative Yelp reviews after it was revealed that she was the person who helped get Kelly out of jail.
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She told NBC 5 she feels like she is getting beat up online for “no good reason.”
