Many were shocked to watch R. Kelly jump, cry, and shout at Gayle King this week as he decried the abuse allegations that have been levied against him.
His accusers, however, weren’t surprised in the least.
Several of the women featured in Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly docuseries have addressed the embattled singer’s explosive CBS This Morning interview that aired in two parts on Wednesday and Thursday — and many say they couldn’t finish the interview because it reminded them of Kelly’s allegedly abusive behavior.
Related: Kelly Blames Ex-Wife For His Failure To Pay Child Support!
Accuser Asante McGee explained to CBS News:
“When he started screaming, it terrified me. I immediately turned off the TV because, again, I felt like I was revisiting him yelling at me.”
As we reported, Kelly threw a temper tantrum on CBS this week when King brought up the allegations that his live-in girlfriends are being held against their will as the singer’s “sex slaves.”
The Grammy winner started crying, shouting, and at one point even jumped out of his chair, vehemently calling every one of his accusers a liar and telling King that he’s “not a devil.”
But McGee is chalking it all up to Kelly being a great performer, as she explained:
“There’s nothing I felt sorry about him for because I know the type of monster he is, and I know he would cry at the drop of a dime. He’s a great performer, on and off the stage.”
Dominique Gardner, who was allegedly physically rescued from an abusive relationship with Kelly, also couldn’t get through the entire interview. Her mother Michelle Kramer said:
“[W]hen he jumped up, she remembered the rage.”
Another accuser, Kitti Jones, said watching the interview made her feel sorry for the disgraced R&B star, who she believes is in need of serious help. She said:
“I cried because I still saw the person that I fell in love with. I couldn’t help but wonder, like, why didn’t someone step in and help him earlier?”
Stephanie “Sparkle” Edwards told ET that watching Kelly’s interview made her feel “sad,” but also insisted that his tears and emotions were part of an act. She explained:
“[It was] just sad to see a person that I once knew just lose it… Robert is always putting on a show. Trust me.”
In a separate interview airing Friday, Kelly’s girlfriends, Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage, told King that there is nothing inappropriate about their relationship with the 52-year-old.
But Joycelyn’s parents still believe their daughter has been brainwashed. Sitting down with King in a newly released interview, Timothy and Jonjelyn Savage denied Kelly’s claims that Timothy took Joycelyn to a Kelly concert when she was underage and “handed” her to the singer.
On the contrary, Timothy claimed that he’s never even met Kelly and only spoke to him on the phone once. The parents haven’t seen their daughter in person in nearly two years, and claim that whenever they speak to her on the phone, it sounds like she’s following a script while telling them she’s happy where she is.
One of these phone calls was conducted in front of King. During the quick chat, Joycelyn can be heard emotionally reacting to her younger sister Jori’s voice when she gets on the phone to say hi.
It’s incredibly heartbreaking, and, the Savages claim, supports their theory that their daughter is not as happy as she claims to be.
Watch the clip (below) to see for yourself.
Kelly is currently in jail for failing to pay his ex-wife over $161,000 in child support. He continues to deny the growing number of abuse allegations.
[Image via CBS News]
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