Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning
When the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries made its appearance on Lifetime, millions of people tuned in to watch the series that was focused on the story of R Kelly and his sexual abuse stories from the very begining of his career to the present. Since the release, many have shared their negative opinions of R. Kelly on social media, boycotted his music, and joined the fight to make sure that R. Kelly serves time in jail. The docuseries brought light to a lot of stories that were shared in mainstream media, giving the survivors of Kelly’s abuse a platform to share their story.
Within weeks of the premiere, the states of Illinois and New York have decided to bring several charges of racketeering, forced labor, kidnapping, child pornography production, and child sexual exploitation against R. Kelly despite facing trials in the past for similar cases. Kelly laid low for a while, avoiding social media and public appearances, but after awhile, he decided that he would share his side of the story on national television with Gayle King, on CBS. During the interview with Gayle, Kelly was extremely emotional, shedding tears, yelling, and even getting up angrily from the interview set. To most viewers, that made him look even more guilty. R Kelly is currently in jail, and will face several court hearings in early and mid 2020 to address the charges that are against him.
Several weeks ago, Lifetime announced that they are releasing a follow up series to the original docuseries, titled “Surviving R. Kelly, The Reckoning” that features interviews from 70 people, which is way more than the first series. There will be a variety of interviewees, ranging from journalists to musicians, to the state attorney who formally charged R Kelly in Illinois, while many of the survivors are going to address their feelings about R Kelly’s arrests and court charges. The series will be split into three nights, just like Surviving R Kelly, and will bring unheard stories to light and share information that the general public is not aware of.
Lifetime has released the trailer, and there are some familiar faces, and some never seen before faces. The face that captures my attention the most is that of Dominique Gardner, one of Kelly’s ex young lovers who escaped from him during the first series of Surviving R. Kelly. Dominique is going to share her story with the world and give us insight as to how R. Kelly has been most recently.
Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning” will be shown on Lifetime starting on January 2 at 9PM ET/PT and will continue over the span of three nights.
