R Kelly and John Legend
John Legend is continuing to draw attention to the allegations against R Kelly while a majority of his contemporaries in the music industry remain silent.
On Monday night, Legend was quick to respond to an individual who attacked Legend by claiming the EGOT-winning superstar was quick to bash Kelly but never spoke up when allegations first arose about Harvey Weinstein.
“I took a photo with and worked with Harvey on several occasions before his abuse was known to me and the rest of the world. Since his being exposed, his company and career have rightfully been destroyed and he’s been indicted. Sounds like something that should happen to R Kelly,” responded Legend.
Then, in a reference to the photo that critic posted of Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen with Weinstein, the singer added, “If y’all wanna cape for R and discount all these women’s stories, just say it. Don’t bring up some old pics of me and somebody else.”
Legend was the lone male artiste to appear on the Lifetime docuseries ‘Surviving R Kelly’ and, despite the claims made by the individual attacking him on Twitter, was also one of the first major Hollywood stars to publicly denounce Weinstein.
Legend’s support for the women accusing Kelly comes at a time when others in the industry have gone silent.
That earned him a great deal of praise on social media, as well when the series premiere on Thursday.
He responded to that by writing, “We should all thank my friend @dreamhampton (filmmaker Dream Hampton who directed the docuseries) for her very necessary work to create #SurvivingRKelly. These survivors deserved to be lifted up and heard. I hope it gets them closer to some kind of justice.”
Legend then added, “To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn’t feel risky at all. I believe these women and don’t give a f*** about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision.”
–Dailymail