R Kelly has cut his three children out of his life according to ex-wife Andrea, who revealed how the singer is still ‘abusing’ her during an appearance on .
‘Even now, financially I am being abused. He stopped paying child support as of June,’ aid Andrea.
‘When I came out and told my story, that was the last time he paid support. Because again, you cant abuse me physically … you can’t abuse me emotionally … so you abuse me financially.’
She later revealed that the singer does not speak to his three children – Joann, Jay and Robert Jr. – and that they in turn do not refer to him as ‘dad.’
Andrea also said that she decided to end her marriage after her oldest daughter witnessed the singer’s abuse for the first time, but lived in fear that he would kill them.
Scroll down for video
Deadbeat: Andrea Kelly revealed her ex-husband R Kelly (above with his oldest daughter in 1999) stopped paying child support last year after she first detailed his alleged abuse
Kelly kids: She also that the singer does not speak to his three children – Joann, Jay and Robert Jr. – and that they in turn do not refer to him as ‘dad’ (clockwise from top left: Joann, Jay and Robert Jr)
Andrea made it clear during the interview that these new allegations have been tough for her children.
‘It is very difficult. He has no relationship with his children now. He doesn’t call them, he changed his phone number,’ revealed Andrea.
‘We don’t have that phone number. Like, what dad does that? But that’s him.’
She continued: ‘At the end of the day, what do you tell your children? They call him “Robert Sr.” They don’t call him “dad” because hes so disconnected from his children.’
When asked if there was a warrant out for Kelly’s arrest because he stopped making payments, Andrea pointed out that the courts in Cook County, Illinois have told her that she must facilitate that process.
‘We had a court date, we went to court,’ aid Andrea.
‘And they told me you need to get him served.’
She then noted: ‘The extent you go to as a woman when you are trying to fight and [the courts] leave you out to the wolves.’
The topic of why she stayed with Kelly for so long was also discussed, with Andrea explaining that she grew up witnessing abuse.
‘The first time I ever saw a man beat a woman it was my grandfather and he was a Baptist preacher,’ she explained.
‘His behavior wasn’t alarming to me
Andrea said that after her daughter witnessed Kelly verbally abusing her for the first time she realized that she needed to get out of the marriage.
‘Will he follow us and kill us?’ she recalled thinking at the time.
There was also some criticism for the lack of attention paid to Kelly’s victims and women of color, with Andrea not afraid to call people out during the interview.
‘We’re women of color, let’s be real. We’re lowest on the totem pole, because if my name was Amber Lynn, her parents would have called after day one and that would have been over with,’ said Andrea.
She had harsh words for John Legend and the #MeToo movement as well, saying: ‘Don’t support me because it’s trending. our not helping me because you want to lend a voice because its trending.’
Andrea said her relationship with Kelly began to disintegrate after the release of the sex tape that allegedly featured the singer and an underage girl.
That resulted in Kelly’s arrest on charges of child pornography and his subsequent trial in 2008.
She filed a restraining order against her ex in 2005 following an altercation.
One year later she filed for divorce, and in 2009 the split was finalized, at which point she claims Kelly chose not to be a part of his children’s lives.
Track him down: The singer was taken to court but authorities in Cook County refuse to put out a warrant for his arrest says Andrea, and instead told her she must serve him
Last week, Andrea’s oldest daughter spoke out for the first time since multiple women made accusations of rape and abuse against the accused pedophile on the Lifetime docuseries Surviving R Kelly.
In a lengthy and emotional post that was shared on her Instagram page, 20-year-old Joann Kelly explained why she has remained silent about the allegations being made about her father while showing her support for the singer’s alleged victims.
‘The same monster you all confronting me about is my father. I am well aware of who and what he is. I grew up in that house,’ wrote Joann, who performs under the name Buku Abi.
‘Before I start I just want it to be known that I am speaking from the heart, nothing I say or do not say is to hurt any party affected by this,’ wrote Joann at the start of her post.
‘I just want you all to understand that devastated is an understatement for all that I feel currently.’
She later noted: ‘I pray for all the families & woman who have been affected by my father’s actions. Trust, I have been deeply affected by all of this.’
Joann went on to say that she is not fond of discussing her personal life in a public forum, but felt that she had no choice.
She explained that it ‘has been years’ since she or her siblings had any contact with the singer, and that they and her mother Andrea ‘would never condone, support or be a part of anything negative that [Kelly] does.’
At the end of her message, she took time to thank those people who showed their support for the family during this difficult time.
