Lifetime Will Air Follow-Up R. Kelly Docuseries ‘Surviving R. Kelly: The Impact’ In May

As if ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ wasn’t enough, the Lifetime network is now set to air a follow-up docuseries about R. Kelly’s sexual abuse allegations called ‘Surviving R. Kelly: The Impact,’ hosted by journalist Soledad O’Brien.

The series will premiere May 4th, four months after Lifetime aired the original doc, which featured multiple women accusing the singer of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. 2.1 million viewers tuned in to ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ when it premiered in January and a combined 26 million since then. 

The follow-up, two-hour special airing next week will detail how ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ “elevated the conversation on sexual violence and what it means to be a survivor” and galvanized activists to protest Kelly, according to a Lifetime press release. The special features interviews with journalists, non-profit organization leaders, and psychologists as well as clips from the original docuseries.

Since ‘Surviving R. Kelly, the singer has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for alleged misconduct occurring between 1998 and 2010, involving four women, three of which were allegedly underage at the time. Kelly pleaded not guilty to the charges, but was briefly jailed in Chicago last month for failure to pay back child support.

According to Deadline, phone calls to sexual assault hotlines have surged 35% since ‘Surviving R. Kelly, with #MuteRKelly activists successfully protesting for Kelly’s label to drop him and more women come forward to reveal abuse allegations. The docuseries received the 2019 L.A. Press Club President’s Award for Impact on Media.

Will you be tuning in the second time around?