R. Kelly Gets Emotional, Unhinged in CBS Interview: ‘I Have Been Assassinated’

R. Kelly conducted his first interview since his arrest on sexual abuse charges – and his first interview since the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries – Tuesday with CBS This Morning‘s Gayle King. During the interview, Kelly emphatically denied any wrongdoing as well as allegations he had sexual relationships with underage girls, as the charges against him claim. Parts of the 80-minute interview aired on CBS This Morning Wednesday.

“I have been assassinated. I have been buried alive. But I’m alive,” Kelly said of the charges and the aftermath of Surviving R. Kelly. The singer appeared agitated at points, yelling directly at the camera and, at one point, standing up out of his chair to claim that he was being persecuted and screaming, “I’m trying to have a relationship with my kids! And I can’t do it! Y’all just don’t want to believe the truth! You don’t want to believe it!”

When King asked Kelly if he had done anything illegal, Kelly said “absolutely not” and then listed the allegations against him: “Got little girls trapped in the basement, helicopters over my house trying to rescue someone that doesn’t need rescuing because they’re not in my house. Handcuffing people, starving people. I have a harem, what you call it – a cult. I don’t even really know what a cult is. But I know I don’t have one.

“Everybody says something bad about me. Nobody said nothin’ good,” the singer said of Surviving R. Kelly. “They was describing Lucifer. I’m not Lucifer. I’m a man. I make mistakes, but I’m not a devil, and by no means am I a monster.

Kelly blamed social media – where the #MuteRKelly campaign heightened the scrutiny against the singer following Surviving R. Kelly, resulting in the termination of his record contract – on the spread of rumors against him, and then launched into an angry soliloquy where a teary-eyed Kelly stood up and spoke directly at the cameras.

“You can start a rumor on a guy like me or a celebrity just like that,” Kelly said. “All you have to do is push a button on your phone and say so and so did this to me, R. Kelly did this to me, and if you get any traction from that, if you’re able to write a book from that, if you’re able to get a reality show… then any girl that I had a relationship in the past that it just didn’t work out, she can come and say the same exact thing.”

Kelly continued, “Use your common sense. Forget the blogs, forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to, love me if you want. But just use your common sense. How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I’ve been through – oh right, now I just think I have to be monster, and hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement, and don’t let them eat, don’t let them out, unless they need some shoes down the street from their uncle!”

King attempted to calm Kelly down but the singer continued his tirade, “Stop it. You all quit playing! Quit playing! I didn’t do this stuff! This is not me! I’m fighting for my fucking life! Y’all killing me with this shit! I gave you 30 years of my fucking career! Thirty years of my career! And y’all trying to kill me? You killing me, man! This is not about music! I’m trying to have a relationship with my kids! And I can’t do it! Y’all just don’t want to believe the truth! You don’t want to believe it!”

Raggamuffin wrote:Helicopters? Shades of Cliff Richard and the witch-hunt against him.

eddie wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Helicopters? Shades of Cliff Richard and the witch-hunt against him.

How do you know Cliff Richard was innocent? And why did he disappear?

eddie wrote:Well I don’t know whether he’s guilty or not but to just say he’s innocent is incorrect. You must then assume the women are lying.
We don’t know for sure, do we?

Raggamuffin wrote:

eddie wrote:Well I don’t know whether he’s guilty or not but to just say he’s innocent is incorrect. You must then assume the women are lying.
We don’t know for sure, do we?

Er men actually, but no matter. If there's no evidence against him he's considered innocent, and I think he is. If you think he's guilty, please provide evidence or say why you think he is.

Actually, you were first to mention innocence, I just mentioned the witch-hunt.

eddie wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

Er men actually, but no matter. If there's no evidence against him he's considered innocent, and I think he is. If you think he's guilty, please provide evidence or say why you think he is.

Actually, you were first to mention innocence, I just mentioned the witch-hunt.

Oh yes men, my mistake, he’s never admitted to being gay yet men have come forward.
I guess they all made it up. We don’t know for sure, do we?
I wonder why he hasn’t sued or at least made a stink so as to clear his name? Running away to another country seemed a bit odd.

eddie wrote:I’m discussing him with you and I said I didn’t know. If you’re replying then you’re also gossiping?
Stop being silly. If a discussion is gossiping then we are all gossipers.

Raggamuffin wrote:

eddie wrote:I’m discussing him with you and I said I didn’t know. If you’re replying then you’re also gossiping?
Stop being silly. If a discussion is gossiping then we are all gossipers.

I'm not implying that he's guilty though - you are.

Raggamuffin wrote:I'd rather not. You appear to be turning into Didge.

Raggamuffin wrote:I saw the reference to helicopters and commented on it.

Raggamuffin wrote:I'm not very familiar with him - he's a tad too R&B for me. He did that lovely song called The World's Greatest though.

I couldn't comment on his guilt or innocence really - it all seems to have been going on for years.

Thank you for the flower.