Lifetime is about to air a follow up to their monumental and game-changing docu-series “Surviving R. Kelly” that may contribute to putting the legendary singer-songwriter-producer behind bars after three decades of sexual abuse allegations.
The explosive Dream Hampton-directed documentary aired on Jan. 3 and was enormously successful in completely detonating R. Kelly’s life in ways that no trial or mass media stories were able to do. As it stands today, the embattled and broke Robert Sylvester Kelly, 52, is staring at a possible 70 years in prison from 10 charges of aggravated sexual abuse.
The Lifetime channel is now going to air a two-hour special, hosted by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien, entitled “Surviving R. Kelly: The Impact.” It will talk about the global impact the documentary has had on the discussion regarding sexual abuse, pedophilia and being a sexual assault survivor.
It’s set to premiere this Saturday, May 4 at 10 p.m.
According to Lifetime, calls to sexual assault hotlines increased by 35 percent after over 26 million viewed the documentary. It has been named the recipient of the 2019 LA Press Club President’s Award for Impact on Media and that impact cannot be understated. Just seven weeks after the documentary aired, R. Kelly was dropped from his longtime label, renounced by music streaming services, ex-communicated by most of his industry friends and was indicted by Cook County (Chicago) prosecutor Kim Foxx.
Additional commentary for the two-hour special will come from a myriad of journalists, psychologists, and legal experts, as well as a closer look at Kelly’s interview with “CBS This Morning” host Gayle King that was heard around the world:
“Stop it. You all quit playing! Quit playing! I didn't do this stuff! This is not me! I'm fighting for my f***ing life! Y'all killing me with this sh*t!" @RKelly told @GayleKing, standing up. "I gave you 30 years of my f***ing career!"https://t.co/u4AENVJQsc pic.twitter.com/jLF7l8etYh
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 6, 2019
