Buku Abi, R. Kelly’s daughter, is speaking publicly for the first time about the alleged abuse she says she suffered as a child at the hands of her father. Abi shares her painful story in the two-part documentary Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, which debuted on the TVEI Streaming Network.
Abi, now 26, first told her mother, Andrea Kelly, about the alleged abuse in 2009 when she was just 10 years old. “He was my everything. For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe that it happened,” Abi says in the documentary. “I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom.”
In the second episode, Abi goes into more detail about the alleged incidents, recalling a moment when she was 8 or 9 years old. “I just remember waking up to him touching me,” she says tearfully. Abi shares how she eventually told her mother, and they went to the police to file a complaint under the name “Jane Doe.” However, no charges were brought against Kelly, as too much time had passed.
Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, has strongly denied these claims, stating that similar allegations made by Andrea Kelly were investigated and found to be unsubstantiated. Bonjean also criticized the documentary’s creators for not reaching out to Kelly’s legal team for a response.
R. Kelly, who is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence for racketeering, sex trafficking, and other charges, continues to deny all allegations of abuse. The documentary series highlights the toll his actions have taken on his family, particularly his children.
Abi reflects on the emotional toll of her father’s shadow, describing how it led her to struggle with suicidal thoughts as a teenager. “I just didn’t care anymore,” she shares, recalling a moment when her mother discovered scars on her wrists and helped her open up about her struggles.
The series also features interviews with Abi’s siblings, Jaah and Robert Jr., as well as their mother Andrea, who finalized her divorce from Kelly in 2009. The family expresses relief over Kelly’s lengthy prison sentence, with Robert Jr. saying, “If you don’t want to go to jail, don’t do things that get you locked up.”
Karma: A Daughter’s Journey is now available for streaming on the TVEI Streaming Network, offering a closer look at how R. Kelly
