R. Kelly's Daughter Claims Dad's Alleged Sexual Abuse Led to Multiple Suicide Attempts, Several Weeks in 'Psych Ward'

Mar. 15, 2025

Buka Abi in new docuseries ‘Karma: A Daughter’s Journey’; R. Kelly in NYC in 2012.Photo:Tvei Network/Youtube; Jason Kempin/Getty

Tvei Network/Youtube; Jason Kempin/Getty

R. Kelly’s daughterBuku Abiis opening up about the impact herdad’s alleged sexual abusehad on her mental health.

“For a long time I was in a really hard space mentally and so I ended up in a mental hospital, a psych ward, whatever you want to call it,” she says, “because I hit a point in my life where multiple times, I had tried to take my own life.”

Abi, who was born Joann Kelly, recalls reaching a breaking point while in the car on the way to school, crying and telling her mother Andrea Kelly she was “not OK.”

“That day she called the hospital, and she ended up checking me in, and I didn’t leave,” Abi says. “I was there for about two and a half weeks. I was on really hard suicide watch. And then for two, three months after that, I was in outpatient basically, so I had to go there every day.”

The singer also recalls an incident in which she and Andrea — who wasmarried to R. Kellyfrom 1996 to 2009 — went to Target together, and Andrea noticed her daughter’s wrists had been cut.

“I just got to a point where I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t care if I lived or died. I didn’t care about what happened to me,” she says in the docuseries. “[My mom] saw that my wrists were all cut up, and she just immediately dropped everything and was asking, ‘What’s going on? Are you OK?’ She was really worried, and in that moment, I broke down, and I had to tell her like, ‘I don’t think I’m OK. I don’t think that I can do this. I don’t think that I’m going to make it through to live out the rest of my life.' ”

R. Kelly performing in 2013.Earl Gibson III/Getty

Earl Gibson III/Getty

Abi says her suicidal thoughts caused her a “lot of guilt,” as she could see the impact they had on her younger siblings Jaah, 23, and Robert Jr. 22.

“That was definitely scary,” Robert says in the show. “Waking up and not knowing, is my sister going to be alive? … Now that my sisters are older and stronger, it’s definitely subsided, but I still have my moments when they go through something hard, it’s always triggering because you never know what could be someone’s last straw, and I’ve seen both of them get very close to their last straws, including my mom.”

Kelly wassentenced to 20 years in prisonin February 2023 after being convicted of child pornography and enticement of minors for sex. The conviction followed an earlier conviction of racketeering and sex trafficking charges, for which he washanded down a 30-year sentence. He’s currently serving 19 years of his two sentences concurrently, and will be eligible for release in 2045.

Through an attorney, Kelly denied Abi’s claims of abuse, which she alleged happened after she awoke in the middle of the night to him “touching” her.

Buku Abi; R. Kelly.Michael Tullberg/Getty; Chicago Police Department via Getty

Michael Tullberg/Getty; Chicago Police Department via Getty

Abi says in the docuseries she was initially “too scared” to tell anyone about the incident, but ultimately reported it to Andrea in 2009, when she was 10 years old. The series says Abi and Andrea went to the police and filed a complaint as Jane Doe, but, Abi says, “They couldn’t prosecute him because I waited too long.”

She now says she’s “still in the process of learning to love” and “trust” herself, but has belief in her abilities.

Shorty after the show was released, Abi shared a lengthyInstagrampost explaining her intentions behind the project, saying she did it for her, her 13-month-old son Omni, her family and her peace of mind.

“I DO NOT ‘hate’ MY FATHER. Nor do I blindly follow my mother,” she wrote. “I’m not angry. I’m not looking for revenge. I’m not looking for clout.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com