R. Kelly's Reported Girlfriend Joycelyn Savage Speaks Out Against Him

R. Kelly awaits trial on charges that he recruited underage girls and women to have sex with him, and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.

By Corinne Heller Nov 23, 2019 10:42 PMTags
Watch: R. Kelly Arrested on Federal Sex Crime Charges: Everything We Know

Joycelyn Savage, one of R. Kelly's reported former live-in girlfriends, is speaking out about his alleged controlling behavior, as the singer remains in a Chicago prison awaiting trial on charges that he recruited underage girls and women to have sex with him.

Kelly, 52, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which came after new accusations were made against him in a Lifetime docu-series, Surviving R. Kelly. His trial is due to begin in May he could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

In 2017, BuzzFeed News reported that Kelly was holding women hostage in a "cult." Savage, believed to one of the alleged "captives," then told TMZ, "I'm in a happy place with my life. I'm not being brainwashed or anything like that." On CBS This Morning in March, she also dismissed her family's claim that Kelly had brainwashed her. And she and another alleged girlfriend both supported the singer at court hearings.

But now, Savage has changed her stance.

"I have Partnered up with @Patreon where I will post daily chapters of my story," she wrote on Instagram on Saturday. "Things I am going to reveal that was sweared not to see the day of light — by NDA. I am risking my life for many others. ‪This story is 18+ and only for mature audience, I want to make sure my story is very detailed as I can remember."

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On her page on Patreon, a subscription-based content service, Savage wrote, according to The Daily Beast, that she met Kelly in 2015 at one of his concerts when she was 17, and that he promised to jumpstart her music career, telling her, "Baby girl you are going to be the next Aaliyah." She said she dropped out of college and moved into his home.

"After these couple of months Robert started giving me commands, and making sure I call him by certain names. Like 'Master' or 'Daddy,' which I didn't really care for at the time, " Savage wrote, according to The Daily Beast. "If I wasn't getting paid or pursuing my dream I would've went home, but all of that didn't stop just yet. But It started getting worse by day by day, he would raise his voice at me if I didn't call him by those two names. If Robert called me, I would have to reply with ‘Yes, Daddy' or 'Please Daddy.' He was so controlling."

Savage also said that if she expressed wanting to leave or speak to her parents in private, Kelly would say things like, "All this can stop today, you want a career? Or do you want to live a normal life?"

Kelly's attorney Steve Greenberg  tweeted in response to her claims, "It is unfortunate that Jocelyn now seeks to make money by exploiting her long time, loving relationship with Robert. Obviously if she were to tell the truth no one would pay so she has, unfortunately, chosen to regurgitate the stories and lies told by others for her own personal profit. We know the real facts, and it was not until the money ran out that she decided anything was wrong. Hopefully people will see it for the Obvious profiteering it is."

E! News has reached out to R. Kelly's rep for comment.