Instagram Andrea Lee and Robert Kelly, Jr.
Robert Kelly, Jr. is the son of R. Kelly and Andrea Lee. He is the youngest of the couple’s three children, and he is the only one who has not spoken publicly about his father’s sexual abuse allegations.
Andrea Lee said that there the strain of R. Kelly‘s abuse led to health complications and a near miscarriage when she was pregnant with Robert Jr. in 2002. Read on to learn more about the youngest Kelly, his past, and his relationship with his famous father.
Here’s what you need to know about Robert Kelly, Jr.:
1. Doctors Were Unsure If Robert Jr. Would Survive When He Was Born In 2002
Andrea Lee talked about her pregnancy with Robert Jr. during the Surviving R. Kelly miniseries. She claimed that the stress caused by R. Kelly’s sexual assault case, coupled with the physical and emotional abuse she dealt with at home, jeopardized her unborn son’s life.
“I was under so much stress that when I went to the OBGYN they couldn’t find his heartbeat,” she revealed. “And I remember getting to the emergency room and I remember coming through the door and they had papers and signing and people were grabbing me and putting stuff in my arm.”
Andrea was told that they doctors have to induce labor right away, because they were unsure if Robert Jr. was going to survive. “I went through the labor and I just remember falling so in love with little Rob because he came here so strong,” she gushed. “I was in that much stress.”
2. Robert Jr. Does Not Talk with R. Kelly & Refers to Him as Robert Sr.
Andrea Lee revealed that her children do not have contact with R. Kelly, nor do they refer to him as dad. During an appearance on The Bert Show, she said that the children have not spoken to their father in years, and that their lack of communication has been a contributing factor when it comes to unpaid child support.
“Even now, financially I am being abused. He stopped paying child support as of June,” Andrea said. “When I came out and told my story, that was the last time he paid support. Because again, you can’t abuse me physically … you can’t abuse me emotionally … so you abuse me financially.”
“It is very difficult. He has no relationship with his children now,” Andrea added. “He doesn’t call them, he changed his phone number. We don’t have that phone number. Like, what dad does that? But that’s him.” She then told listeners that Robert Jr. and his older siblings refer to their father as Robert Sr.
“At the end of the day, what do you tell your children? They call him ‘Robert Sr.'”, she remarked. “They don’t call him ‘dad’ because he’s so disconnected from his children.”
3. Robert Jr. Has Shown an Interest In Music Like His Siblings
All three of R. Kelly’s children have displayed musical talent. Joann Kelly puts out music under the alias Buku Abi, while Jay Kelly raps and produces under name JaahBaby. Robert Jr. has the least musical experience, but he proved that he has a talent for rapping when he appeared in a music video for his school in 2017.
A handful of students at Griffin Middle School created a music video that urged kids to focus on their studies. Robert Jr. raps the second verse in the video, which addresses cramming for tests and the importance of getting good grades. “Do assignments that’s assigned and study every night until you are the best,” he spits. “I study ’til I pass a test. I study, I study, I pass it, I’m stunting and now I’m better than the rest.”
Robert Jr.’s mom re-posted the video on her Instagram, where she praised him for promoting a good message. “Pleas (sic) check out my baby boy Robert Kelly, Jr. smash this second verse for his school,” she wrote. “Mama is so proud of you! I love you.”
4. R. Kelly Was Arrested for Unpaid Child Support to Robert Jr. & Jay In 2019
R. Kelly was arrested for unpaid child support on March 6, 2019. USA Today reports that Kelly failed to pay $161,000 in back child support for his sons Robert Jr. and Jay, in addition to college tuition for his daughter Joann. Kelly handed over a check two months after he was arrested and jailed for failing to make the required payments.
The check amounted to $62, 499, but Kelly’s ex-wife Andrea is still seeking out $32,383 in back child support remaining from the $161,000 that the judge ordered Kelly to pay. The documents pertaining to the case were initially scheduled to be made public, but Kelly’s lawyer objected, arguing that Kelly’s sons were minors (Robert Jr. was 16 at the time) and thus deserved to be protected from the information found in the documents.
Kelly’s representative Darrell Johnson confirmed that his client was back on track with payments. “My client now looks forward to clearing his name and being cleared of all charges in the near future,” Johnson told ABC. “Mr. Kelly also placed a check for child support in escrow with his family law attorney for June, July and August in advance.”
5. Robert Jr. Shut Down His Instagram In 2018 & Prefers to Keep a Low Profile
Robert Jr. got an Instagram account in 2016, and he urged people to follow him by posting a photo of himself on his mother’s profile. “I’m grown now,” he wrote. “Follow me @ra.b.it.” Despite the link still being active on the post, Robert Jr. shut down his profile in 2018 and has stayed off social media ever since.
The only consistent social media presence he has is on his mother’s profile. He often poses for photos with his family, with the most recent example being on December 2, 2019. “When FATHER GOD, MOTHER EARTH and QUEEN UNIVERSE are at work,” Andrea wrote in the caption. “Big things coming soon this is DOPE-DOPE and the heirs to the throne.”
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