Joycelyn Savage Instagram; Getty
Joycelyn Savage is a singer whose involvement with disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly has been the subject of major scrutiny, especially in the wake of the release of Surviving R. Kelly, the bombshell docuseries detailing the allegations of sexual assault and abuse by multiple survivors. Now, as the followup to the series is set to premiere, many may be wondering what Savage is up to, a year later.
Both Savage and Azriel Clary moved out of Kelly’s apartment in Chicago. The two young women were living with Kelly at the time of his arrest, and each gave interviews with CBS’ Gayle King in the spring of 2019, vehemently defending the singer against all accusations. Their respective parents have also each been public in trying to free their daughters from the singer’s apparent grasp.
Though Savage has moved out of Kelly’s apartment, her stance on Kelly is still unclear. Now 24, a person claiming to be Savage released a series of Patreon posts in November about the apparent abuse she suffered at the hands of Kelly; however, a few days later the posts were deleted, and Savage said that she was the victim of fraudulent impersonation.
Here’s what you need to know:
READ: the Patreon Posts Published by ‘Joycelyn Savage’
Though it’s now unclear whether Savage posted this or whether someone pretending to be Savage posted this, here are some of the details that were posted on Savage’s Patreon account: that he forced her to get two abortions, that he choked and grabbed at her until she blacked out, that he forced her to call him “Master” or “Daddy,” and more. She also said Kelly would urinate or defecate on her, that he wouldn’t buy menstrual products, and that he forced her to say certain things to the media. All of these posts have since been deleted.
Patreon offered the following statement to NPR on the deletion of those posts:
“After multiple unsuccessful attempts to verify the identity of the account holder, we closed the Patreon page allegedly associated with Joycelyn Savage due to potential impersonation. All patrons who signed up for the membership page were refunded and the creator did not receive any funds.”
Though Savage has since denied any involvement with the Patreon posts in a video to TMZ, and has reiterated her allegiance to Kelly, she also seemingly advertised and claimed ownership to the posts on her Instagram account before she released them.
Before the posts appeared on Patreon, Savage wrote on Instagram,
I have Partnered up with @Patreon where I will post daily chapters of my story. Things I am going to reveal that was sweared not to see the day of light — by NDA. I am risking my life for many others. This story is 18+ and only for mature audience, I want to make sure my story is very detailed as I can remember. My first story “Where It All Started” is out now. patreon.com/Joycelynsavage (Link is bio) ??
This all adds to the confusion, obviously, since she now refutes any involvement with the posts.
Following news that Savage did not, apparently, write those posts, her family’s lawyer released the following statement to TMZ:
“We’re saddened and disappointed to learn that Joycelyn Savage has said that she was not the person operating the Patreon account.
We deeply desired to hear her story and in her own voice outside of the presence of Robert Sylvester Kelly or anyone associated with him. For nearly three years, Joycelyn Savage has not been able to speak outside of a controlled environment created by Mr. Kelly. Her video today was not any different.
Although we can now verify that it wasn’t her account, the allegations still remain. These are allegations that our own independent investigation found to be accurate and closely match the details listed in four indictments against Mr. Kelly.
We are also concerned about who gained access to Joycelyn’s personal Instagram account to mislead the public and her family.
But there is no deception in this fact, for three years, Joycelyn’s family has spent the holidays without their daughter. They love her and long to embrace her once again.”
It’s not clear where Savage is now living, or if she has fully separated her life from Kelly’s or whether she still feels as connected to him as she claimed to feel in 2019.
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