Joycelyn Savage says the social media account that shared graphic details of her time with singer R. Kelly is fake and she had nothing to do with it.
“I’m not the kind of girl who would do something like that and betray him,” Savage said in a 3-minute video obtained by TMZ. “I’ve been through so much with him, and we have a bond that is so special that no one can, that no one ever can break. … I would never in a million years hurt him like this.”
» Joycelyn Savage calls family after two years to say she is 'very happy' with R. Kelly
In late November, an email with Savage's name on it announced she were "willing to risk it all" and reveal secrets she'd been sworn to keep.
The experiences were posted to Patreon — a paid online platform that charges members from $3 to $25 for varying levels of content.
Just a few days after the account went live, Patreon wanted proof it was really Savage sharing graphic accounts of the relationship with Kelly.
“Our source tells us the user will have to provide a government-issued form of identification to satisfy Patreon,” TMZ reported.
Patreon was never able to confirm who owned the account, so it was removed from the platform.
In the video obtained by TMZ, Savage says she “truly tired of all the lies they are saying about the man we love so much and our best friend R. Kelly. It has been said that I have left him and that he has abused me and all kinds of nonsense."
By “we,” Savage means herself and Azriel Clary, both of whom live at Kelly’s house as his girlfriends.
Savage’s family responded to the recent video through their attorney, Gerald A. Griggs.
“We’re saddened and disappointed to learn that Joycelyn Savage has said that she was not the person operating the Patreon account. We deeply desired to hear her story and in her own voice outside of the presence of Robert Sylvester Kelly or anyone associated with him. For nearly three years, Joycelyn Savage has not been able to speak outside of a controlled environment created by Mr. Kelly. Her video today was not any different. Although we can now verify that it wasn’t her account, the allegations still remain. These are allegations that our own independent investigation found to be accurate and closely match the details listed in four indictments against Mr. Kelly. We are also concerned about who gained access to Joycelyn’s personal Instagram account to mislead the public and her family.
“But there is no deception in this fact, for three years, Joycelyn’s family has spent the holidays without their daughter. They love her and long to embrace her once again.”
» A timeline of R. Kelly's history of sexual assault allegations
Kelly, 52, is in federal custody in Cook County, charged with four separate indictments accusing him of sexual misconduct over more than a decade. Three of the four alleged victims were underage at the time.
In a 13-count indictment unsealed in July in Chicago's federal court, Kelly was charged for allegedly conspiring with two former employees to rig his 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County by paying off witnesses and victims to change their stories. At the same time, a racketeering conspiracy indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, alleging he identified underage girls attending his concerts and groomed them for later sexual abuse.
On Wednesday, a Cook County judge set a tentative trial date for September.
Kelly is already slated to go on trial in April on the federal charges in Chicago and the following month in Brooklyn.
In 2018, the Lifetime channel aired a three-day, six-hour documentary titled, "Surviving R. Kelly." Kelly has been accused of holding women against their will in a "cult," at his homes in two city — one of which was in Johns Creek.
One of the women in the documentary, Asante McGee, described what it was like living with Kelly at his Johns Creek mansion.
“He’s literally the devil,” she said. “I felt degraded to where I was crying at night because I’m like I can’t believe that I just actually did this, and he doesn’t see anything wrong with it.”
» In interview, Joycelyn Savage, Azriel Clary say parents wanted money from R. Kelly
Savage and Clary have defended Kelly repeatedly, even giving a "CBS This Morning" interview about the singer's controversy.
In the recent video, Savage says the two of them are getting through it, but “I just him to come home in peace.”
About the Author
