Cook County Jail Bruce Kelly's mugshot.
Bruce Kelly, R. Kelly’s brother, said during his appearance in Lifetime’s documentary, “Surviving R. Kelly,” that the controversial singer has always preferred, “Younger women.” Bruce is featured in the show alongside his younger brother, Carey, as well as Kelly’s ex-wife, Andrea, and his ex-girlfriend, Kitti Jones. Bruce Kelly, 50, is due in court later in January 2019 on theft and drug possession charges, online records show.
R. Kelly was the third of four children born to Joann, a teacher and devout Baptist. The singer’s father abandoned the family while the children were all young.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Bruce Says in the Documentary that He Prefers Older Women
Bruce Kelly really bruh…. that’s why you azz in jail.
“I like older women my brother like younger women, what’s the problem? 😡
#SurvivingRKelly
During his appearance on the documentary, Bruce says of the allegations that his brother preferred younger women, “You have people who have fantasies about different things. I like older women, go figure, you know. But that’s just a preference. Everyone has preferences. So what is the big deal? What is the big issue with my brother?”
Facebook/Bruce Kelly
Bruce also says of his brother, “Rob was shy and very timid. If you stared at him in his face he would cry.” Bruce also spoke at length about the bullying his brother received saying Kelly once told him, “I’m just tired of all these kids teasing me.” When it came time for Kelly to become a singer, Bruce said he had to force his brother to perform adding that Kelly was so shy he would sing with his back to the audience.
When asked about Kelly’s first wife, Andrea, Bruce said, “It just looked to me that they weren’t compatible. She just seemed different than what he was accustomed to having.”
2. In 2015, Bruce Alleged that His Brother Never Paid Him for Being the Singer’s Driver
Facebook/Bruce KellyBruce Kelly pictured in March 2018 on his Facebook page.
In July 2015, TMZ reported that the Illinois Department of Labor was investigating Bruce’s claims that his brother never paid him wages. The gossip site said that Bruce had been working as a personal assistant and a driver for his brother. Bruce told TMZ at the time that his brother was supposed to pay him $700 and in total was owed $11,000.
Bruce wrote on his Facebook page in 2015, “i can’t believe this is what I have to resort to to get paid from my own Brother. I know my mother is turning over in her grave!! this is not how joann kelly raised us. what’s wrong with paying your brother what you owe him. you pay everybody else!!” In the About section of his page, Bruce writes, “Big brother and former employee to R&B super star artist R.KELLY. I produce music tracks as well…My producer name is B.Nazz-t (NASTY). Guess where rob got that nazz-t shit from?”
3. Bruce Hosted an Anti-Violence Concert in Chicago in 2016
According to Chicago Defender, Bruce hosted an anti-violence concert in Chicago in July 2016. Bruce spoke about his goal for the event saying, “A lot of these teenagers have talent. They sing, rap, draw and they have talent. We are going to help them put together demos and bring their dreams to life.”
4. Kelly Says He Was Abused in His Youth By an Older Man in His Neighborhood
Getty
In his appearance in the documentary, Bruce’s younger brother, Carey, said that the family’s lives “changed for the worst” after they moved out of the projects. In 2016, Kelly told GQ Magazine that he was sexually abused by a family member from the age of 8 until he was 15. Kelly said in the interview, “As I’m older, I’ve only learned to forgive it. Was it wrong? Absolutely. But it’s a family member that I love so I would definitely say no to that one. To be honest, even if my mom, I saw her kill somebody, I’m not gonna say, ‘Well, yeah, she definitely should go to jail.’ It’s just something I wouldn’t do… You know, no different than putting a loaded gun in a kid’s hand—he gonna grow up being a shooter, probably. I think it affects you tremendously when that happens at an early age. To be more hornier. Your hormones are up more than they would normally be. Mine was.”
5. R. Kelly Is Threatening a Major Lawsuit Against Lifetime Over the Documentary
Lifetime continued to air the three-night R. Kelly documentary despite the threat of a massive lawsuit from the singer. TMZ reported on January 3, before the first installment went out, that Kelly’s lawyer Brian Nix had sent Lifetime a letter saying the documentary was “packed with lies.” Kelly’s camp alleges that they have proof that two of the victims featured in the show made up their claims to gain fame. The singer says that Lifetime knows about the proof but that the production of the show cost so much money, they’re refusing to go back.
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