In an emotionally charged interview Tuesday night, the first since his arrest last month, R&B singer R. Kelly denied allegations that he sexually abused four women, including three teenagers.
Kelly spoke with Gayle King of "CBS This Morning" in an hour-and-a-half interview, adamantly denying the charges, yelling and crying that he's innocent of the allegations.
He told King that he was already found not guilty of similar charges in an earlier abuse case 10 years ago and that people "are going back to the past" with the current charges.
“But the past is relevant with you with underage girls,” King said.
“Absolutely, no it’s not,” Kelly said. “For one, I beat my case.”
Kelly became visibly emotional as he denied holding women against their will, which was alleged in the recent documentary "Surviving R. Kelly."
“Why would I?” he asked King. “I don’t need to.”
“How stupid would I be to do that?” he said, getting visibly upset and raising his voice in denial, before speaking directly into the camera and saying this:
“That’s stupid! Use your common sense. Forget the blogs. Forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to. Love me if you want. Just use your common sense. How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I have been through, oh right now I think need to be a monster and hold girls against their will and chain them in my basement and don’t let them eat and don’t let them out?”
“I didn’t do this stuff,” Kelly said with tears in his eyes. “This is not me. I’m fight for my (expletive) life,” he sobbed.
The singer pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Chicago last month. Prosecutors contend Kelly engaged in sexual activity with four women between 1998 and 2010 when three of the victims were under 17.
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