Another woman has come forward to accuse R. Kelly of sexual misconduct & abuse.
Tracy Sampson, now 36 years old, came forward to NBC‘s Dateline for her first public comment after alleging that in the summer of 1999, Kelly reportedly began abusing her as a then-16-year-old record company intern.
Related: Police Raid R. Kelly’s Studio!
Sampson claimed that she was working as a teenage intern at Epic Records at the time when Kelly first met her, and quickly developed an alleged sexual interest in her.
She told Dateline of one physical instance early on:
“He said ‘Can I kiss you?’ and I was like, ‘No,’ to which he responded, ‘Well, give me a hug.’ And then, like, when I gave him a hug he just started kissing me.”
And Sampson details how confused it made her feel — to the point where Kelly had allegedly manipulated her into thinking she truly felt something for him:
“I was in love with him. I just didn’t know what to do. Like, I didn’t know if this was normal. I didn’t know if this is how adults acted.”
Ugh…
This allegation, now a week past the damning Lifetime series Surviving R. Kelly, comes at a very serious time in the R&B singer’s life and career. And Sampson is not even the only woman to come out publicly with abuse allegations after the series’ release, either.
Though this is the first time her revelation has been shared in the media, this isn’t the first time Sampson has addressed her allegations against the singer.
Related: Streaming Platforms Coming For R. Kelly?!
After turning 18, she ended the relationship and filed a lawsuit against him; Kelly ended up settling the suit for $250,000 back in 2002.
Kelly’s embattled, struggling attorney Steven Greenberg — who, he made it clear to NBC, didn’t represent Kelly at the time — nevertheless had this to say in response to the women who continue to come forward against the R&B singer:
“[Is it a coincidence] that all these women are coming forward? There’s not ‘all these women’. There’s a few women who are making these allegations for which there’s no proof. The record companies are abandoning him. Other artists are all of a sudden acting like they’re shocked by these rumors that – that are floating around. He’s having a very difficult time. But he is strong, he’s tough. He wants to put out his music and continue performing for people. And I expect that’s what he’ll be able to do.”
Hmmm…
What do U think, Perezcious readers?!
Let us know your reactions here in the comments (below)…
[Image via WENN.]
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