Thread by @ReignOfApril

It’s time for #SurvivingRKelly NOW on @lifetimetv. Retweet if you’re watching!

Shouts to @johnlegend @TaranaBurke @JamilahLemieux @Karnythia @thewayoftheid @nelsongeorge @Toure and, most importantly, all of the survivors for taking part in the #SurvivingRKelly docuseries. It’s on NOW on @lifetimetv!

What I appreciate about this @lifetimetv docuseries is that they’re not coming hard at R Kelly from jump. They’re really providing context, including that the Kelly brothers were abused as children. #SurvingRKelly

Just 15 minutes in and #SurvivingRkelly is already trending #1 in the nation. Are you tuned in to @lifetimetv with us?

That's it right there. R Kelly was sexually abused as a child. "Child sexual abuse confuses power & control w/ sex. The abused says: 'I never want to be a victim again.' There's no more powerful position in a sexual relationship than to be the abuser of child." #SurvivingRKelly

The retired police officer saw R Kelly hanging out at the high school when he was in his 20s and older. "He's not called the Pied Piper for nothing." #SurvivingRKelly

"People will say why didn't anyone notice? We all noticed. No one cared because we were Black girls." ~@Karnythia on the #SurvivingRKelly docuseries on @lifetimetv NOW.

Aaliyah was 12 when she met R Kelly and was the niece of R Kelly's manager.

TWELVE. #SurvivingRKelly

Remember now. R Kelly was 27. Aaliyah was 15. Wearing these matching outfits on BET's Video Soul. Make it make sense! #SurvivingRKelly

Aaliyah was pregnant by R Kelly. He was 27. She was 15. Soon after that, they got married. They lied on the marriage certificate to say that she was 18. She was not. #SurvivingRKelly

Remember, in 10 minutes there is ANOTHER episode of #SurvivingRKelly. Then two tomorrow and the final two on Saturday. These aren't repeats. Each episode is new at 9p EST and then 10p EST. Stay with us and use the hashtag!

Aaliyah (and her family) was paid $100 not to pursue legal action after the annulment of their two month marriage.

$100 for her silence. #SurvivingRKelly

This is EPISODE 2 of #SurvivingRKelly on @lifetimetv. There are six episodes, two each night. Hang in there with us and use the hashtag!

"I was shocked that Robert married her. It just looked like to me that they weren't compatible. She just seemed different than what he was accustomed to having." - R Kelly's Brother Bruce. That's because she was 19!! In R Kelly terms, she was "old!" #SurvivingRKelly

"You Are Not Alone," performed by Michael Jackson, was written by R Kelly about Lizzette, the underage girl he was abusing at the time, soon after she had a miscarriage of his child. #SurvivingRKelly

Lizzette caught mono from R Kelly that went untreated. She was in ICU for 2 1/2 weeks, was paralyzed and nearly died. R Kelly gave Lizzette's mother $1000. That's it.

Kelly was having unprotected sex with all of these victims. Dozens of girls. #SurvivingRKelly

Note that R Kelly has now had two weddings in which the wife (Aaliyah and Andrea) had absolutely no say on what her wedding was about, and her parents weren't allowed to attend. #SurvivingRKelly

This brotha @Dr_jodyadewale explaining "learned helplessness" truly provides the answer to many who say "why didn't the girls just leave? Why did they stay?" #SurvivingRKelly

Sparkle knew about R Kelly abusing young girls AND his wife, but still introduced her 12 year old niece to him. Because she believed he could make his niece a star. It is Sparkle's niece that is on the infamous tape. She was 14. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly had multiple bedrooms *in* the music studio. He was sexually abuse young girls in between song takes.

But y'all want to "separate the art from the artist." #SurvivingRKelly

This docuseries is NOT over. There are FOUR more episodes. Two episodes will air tomorrow starting at 9pm EST and the final two are on Saturday at 9pm EST. Please join us each night for #SurvivingRKelly on @lifetimetv.

If you missed tonight's episodes of #SurvivingRKelly, they will be replayed RIGHT NOW on @lifetimetv. Tomorrow we will get Episodes 3 and 4 of this six-part docuseries.

Excuse the typo here. This should obviously say “abusing,” not “abuse.” Typing too fast while live tweeting. 🤦🏾‍♀️

Here we go. Night 2 of 3 (Episodes 3 and 4) of #SurvivingRKelly starts right NOW on @lifetimetv. Join us and use the hashtag while tweeting.

R Kelly was having sex with underage girls downstairs while his wife Andrea was upstairs. Andreas states that she had no idea he was sleeping with anyone, much less underage girls. #SurvivingRKelly

The infamous pee tape was discovered by Lisa, one of his victims, in R Kelly's bag. She took the tape from his bag and eventually gave it to another artist. R Kelly would show the videos to other men. #SurvivingRKelly

There was a series of lawsuits brought by young women who claimed that they had sex with R Kelly while they were underage. So when you ask "Why didn't they come forward?" they did. They actually sued him. Most were settled out of court. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly used non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to keep the young girls and women quiet after he settled out of court with them. There were five and six figure settlements. #SurvivingRKelly

Lisa told R Kelly that she took the infamous pee tape. R Kelly made Lisa and the guy who had the tape take a lie detector test. The guy lied and said he hadn't made any copies of the tape. Lisa heard the sum $250K to get the tape(s) back. #SurvivingRKelly

A copy of the infamous pee tape was dropped off anonymously to the Chicago Sun Times. Journalists called Sparkle, who was able to identify both her niece and R Kelly on the tape. Kelly denied it was him, as did the girl's family. #SurvivingRKelly

She didn't even come up to his shoulder. My God. #SurvivingRKelly

I want y'all to hear what the coach said as well. Sparkle's niece came from a two-parent household; her parents seemed responsible, supportive & active in her life. R Kelly was a predator, showing up at her basketball games in his early 30s. She was a sophomore. #SurvivingRKelly

Sparkle said at the beginning of the tape, you can see R Kelly giving her 14 year old niece money. And then he sexually abused her. According to @toure, you can hear someone yelling R Kelly's name on the tape. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics. While the infamous pee tape and all of the related allegations were circulating in the press and in the streets. Unbelievable. Sparkle's niece was on the basketball team coached by a retired police officer. #SurvivingRKelly

Lisa became pregnant with R Kelly's baby at age 20. She chose to have an abortion. She didn't want to have a child by him. She was actually afraid that he would abuse their child. #SurvivingRKelly

Andrea Kelly, R Kelly's wife, heard about the lawsuits and didn't understand how he had time to abuse all of these girls. She eventually realized that he had enablers. Andrea and Lisa, one of R Kelly's victims, would sometimes be checked into the same hotel. #SurvivingRKelly

Sparkle states that a music executive said "I don't care if it is him on that tape. We can't afford to lose him." That attitude helped to enable and protect him. #SurvivingRKelly

Sparkle was estranged from the family as she says she tried to protect her niece once the infamous pee tape was distributed. She was publicly dismissed as people didn't believe her and thought she was in it to get money. #SurvivingRKelly

We are near the end of Hour Three of the @lifetimetv series #SurvivingRKelly. Hour Four will come on in moments. Hours Five and Six, the last two Episodes, will air tomorrow night beginning at 9p EST.

R Kelly put his wife Andrea on a bus and sent her to Florida. She was pregnant with their third child. At one point, they couldn't find the baby's heartbeat and they performed an emergency delivery. R Kelly wasn't there. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly was arrested on the child pornography charges before he could even get to Florida to see his newborn child. Andrea, his wife, found out about the arrest from TV. #SurvivingRKelly

Child pornography charges were filed, not statutory rape charges. They decided to do this because it would be easier to prove since dates couldn't be ascertained. R Kelly had a sing along with Chicago schoolkids the very same day he pled not guilty & left court. #SurvivingRKelly

21 counts of child pornography and absolutely nothing changed in R Kelly's life while he was awaiting trial. He continued to tour, make money, and abuse young girls. He was arrested a second time in Miami on additional child porn charges. Photos were found. #SurvivingRKelly

The Miami case was eventually dropped because the Florida judge determined the cops didn't have probable cause to search his home, making the photos impermissible. R Kelly dropped Ignition, the Remix, during this time. #SurvivingRKelly

Chocolate Factory debuted at #1 during this time. Step in the Name of Love (one of his biggest hits) dropped as well. It was a family anthem. He now has gospel music, pop, and R&B songs. He covered all the bases. #SurvivingRKelly

Andrea, his wife, contemplated suicide, though it would have meant leaving her three kids behind. She contacted the National Domestic Violence Awareness Hotline. 15 of the 17 questions of domestic abuse she answered positively. She left with her 3 kids and $2500. #SurvivingRKelly

"It takes seven tries for a girl to leave her abuser to leave for good. That tells you how difficult it is to leave these 'relationships.'" #SurvivingRKelly

Andrea Kelly, R Kelly's wife, says that he destroyed Christmases, birthdays, and graduations. She states that their kids "were told they couldn't sit at the lunch table because 'your Daddy rapes little girls.'" #SurvivingRKelly

The infamous pee tape became part of pop culture. Recall the Boondocks episode and the Dave Chappelle skit. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly intentionally delayed his trial because they preferred to have a 20 year old (an adult) on the stand telling her story, and not a 14 year old girl. The trial was delayed six years. Once it began, R Kelly said it was his brother Carey on the tape. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly said that it was his brother Carey on the infamous pee tape. Carey had a 15 year old girl at the time, who was bullied at school because of this allegation. Older brother Bruce said that R Kelly offered Carey $100K & a record deal to take a deposition. #SurvivingRKelly

Jerhonda was 14, a high school freshman, and hung out at the courthouse during R Kelly's child porn trial. She describes herself as a super fan and was able to interact with him outside of the courtroom. #SurvivingRKelly

Sparkle said she was offered high six figures for her to say in a room with R Kelly that they were cool. She declined the money.

8 white jurors and 4 Black jurors saw the infamous pee tape, the central piece of evidence, during the trial. #SurvivingRKelly

The prosecution had 14 witnesses and the infamous pee tape. Lisa, Sparkle, and the basketball coach all testified. The parents of Sparkle's niece denied it was their daughter. Sparkle's oldest brother also said at trial that it wasn't his niece on the tape. #SurvivingRKelly

Many in the courtroom thought R Kelly would be found guilty. He was acquitted of all charges. A juror says that he didn't like the young victims based on what they were wearing and how they acted, so he disregarded the victims & didn't believe them. #SurvivingRKelly

Sparkle says that she doesn't know if her family was paid off, but that her brother in law was playing guitar on Robert's songs in the early 2000s and the family was still hanging out with him. #SurvivingRKelly

~@Toure says that R Kelly's crisis manager didn't want him to answer the question. But he wanted to answer:

@Toure: Do you like teenage girls?

R Kelly: "When you say teenage, how old are we talking?... I have some 19 year old friends, but nothing illegal." #SurvivingRKelly

Andrea Kelly, mother of his 3 kids, says that R Kelly has been paying child support intermittently and that her house was in foreclosure because of this. She says that an order of protection was filed against him. #SurvivingRKelly

Jerhonda was 16 but initially told R Kelly that she was 19. She went to his home. R Kelly told her he had been molested as a child. She was also sexually molested & felt a connection with him. He abused her: "I get to train you and I get to take your virginity." #SurvivingRKelly

Jerhonda: The No Eat List is when someone disobeys Daddy. That's when he decides to starve you. The longest I've gone without food is three days." #SurvivingRKelly

Dominique met R Kelly in 2009 when she was 17. Jerhonda had been friends with Dominique on MySpace through their mutual fandom of R Kelly. Though Dominique's mother called police, nothing could be done because she was of legal age in Illinois. #SurvivingRKelly

Tomorrow we will see the last two episodes of #SurvivingRKelly on @lifetimetv. The docuseries will bring us current to what is happening today, including the fact that girls may be being held by R Kelly against their will. Watch with us tomorrow beginning at 9p EST.

It's time for the final two Episodes of #SurvivingRKelly on @lifetimetv. Use the hashtag as you live tweet with us. You'll hear from the parents tonight.

We start in 2008, just 10 years ago. R Kelly was about 41 years old.

Dominque first met R Kelly at age 17. Her mother hasn't seen her in a year.

Jerhonda left R Kelly after he choked her until she blacked out. She turned over all evidence to the Illinois Bureau of Investigation. #SurvivingRKelly

The Savage parents haven't seen their daughter in two years. Their daughter Joycelyn met R Kelly at age 19 in 2015. They thought R Kelly could make her a star. #SurvivingRKelly.

Joycelyn was on TMZ and denied any wrongdoing by R Kelly. Soon after, in 2017, the allegations of a sex cult hit the media. R Kelly concerts and shows began to be canceled. #SurvivingRKelly

May 11, 2018: Dominique's mother attempts to get her from a hotel in Beverly Hills. She was already in LA to do the #SurvivingRKelly docuseries and saw Dominique on a TMZ video.

In 2010, R Kelly performed on the Soul Train Music Awards. This was after the trial. R Kelly wrote most of the songs for the Sparkle soundtrack. He also wrote Whitney Houston's "I look to you." #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly performed I Look to You at Whitney Houston's funeral, the song he wrote for her. #SurvivingRKelly

Kitti Jones met R Kelly at age 33. She was a radio DJ. She quit her job and moved to Chicago as she believed they were in love with each other. Kitti recognized Sparkle's niece on the pee tape as someone that R Kelly had introduced her to. #SurvivingRKelly

Kitti says that R Kelly became physically violent when she confronted him about the pee tape. Kitti didn't understand the "training" she was going through with R Kelly as a form of control. She wasn't allowed to watch TV, had to stand when he entered a room, etc. #SurvivingRKelly

Remember that Kitti was in her 30s and still fell into the trap of R Kelly. So how could you blame someone who was half her age?

In 2012, Kitti was the "cage girl" on his tour. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly made his victims sign false statements as "insurance." #SurvivingRKelly

Kitti went to the airport but was already afraid of how her friends and associates would judge her. She actually called him & told herself that she would go back if he answered. He did not. #SurvivingRKelly

May 11, 2018: Dominique's mom attempts to get her from a hotel in Beverly Hills. The hotel manager took her up to Dominiques's room when she wouldn't come down. Dominique and her mom were reunited. Joycelyn was in the room with Dominique. Dominique did not leave. #SurvivingRKelly

Dominique's mother tells Joycelyn's mother that they were in the hotel room together. Dominique called down to the front desk to speak to her mom. They cried on the phone together. Dominique told her to come back at 6pm. #SurvivingRKelly

At age 17, Azriel met R Kelly at a concert she attended with both of her parents. Azriel wanted to sing. Both of her parents considered themselves protective. Azriel was secretly communicating with R Kelly & ended up in a hotel room in another city. #SurvivingRKelly

Azriel's parents had told her never to be with him without them present. Azriel's parents went to the hotel. Her parents were told that she was auditioning for R Kelly. Azriel eventually came down and was upset with her parents for interrupting her audition. #SurvivingRKelly

Azriel's parents got R Kelly on the phone and told him that they needed to be present. R Kelly told them that Azriel told her it was okay and that he was on a tight deadline. Azriel threatened her parents if they didn't let her work with him. #SurvivingRKelly

When Dominique's mother got back to the hotel, she was told by the hotel mgr that Dominique called hotel staff and told them that she was not her mother. Because of this, the hotel manager filed a police report & told her that she was trespassing & had to leave. #SurvivingRKelly

We have one more hour of #SurvivingRKelly on @lifetimetv. Even after all of this, I was NOT ready for what we saw in Episode 5.

Dominique met her mother in the hotel bathroom. It appears someone else may have called the hotel staff on Dominique's mother, not Dominique. Dominique and her mother are reunited and away from R Kelly. Dominique says it was the hardest decision she had to make. #SurvivingRKelly

I want y'all to remember that R Kelly is 51 years old. He is old enough to be the father and even grandfather of some of of his victims. His children are around the same age as his victims. #SurvivingRKelly

Azriel was working with R Kelly. A family member was always traveling with her. Azriel's sister left in the middle of the night from the hotel. Azriel's sister tries to take Azriel away. The sister was kidnapped and dropped at a random location & was threatened. #SurvivingRKelly

Azriel's sister didn't tell their parents that the family had been threatened because she was afraid of reprisal. Azriel's parents showed up the next day when R Kelly, Azriel, and Azriel's sister all assured her parents that everything was fine. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly told Azriel's parents that he would hire a female guardian to watch over her while on tour. Her parents signed a document agreeing to this. #SurvivingRKelly

12/30/2015: Azriel turned 18. She stopped communicating with her parents. Azriel's sister then told their parents what really happened when she tried before to get her sister from R Kelly's studio. #SurvivingRKelly

Someone connected Joycelyn's parents and Azriel's parents. Joycelyn's parents haven't seen her in a year. They decided to do a "wellness check" at R Kelly's Atlanta house. They taped it on TMZ. She was not there on that day. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly knew about the "wellness check" at the Chicago studio because he has informants in the Chicago police department. Both girls eventually reported to the police that they were fine, which was communicated to both sets of parents. #SurvivingRKelly

There was a female "trainer" that R Kelly used to "train" his victims. The trainer also sexually abused those victims. #SurvivingRKelly

Asante met R Kelly at age 35. She says she was a diehard fan. They started "dating" in 2014. She was aware he was "dating" other "girls." Asante accepted this. Her ex-husband was abusive and a cheater. He eventually told her to move in with him. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly was evicted from his two Atlanta homes in Feb, 2018 for over $30K in unpaid rent. In May, Asante went to visit the Atlanta home she was moved into. She was emotionally unable to go into her own bedroom. The Black Room was especially traumatizing for her. #SurvivingRKelly

Summer 2017: #MuteRKelly began. The initial goal was to get him off Atlanta radio and to get his concerts canceled. They eventually organized nationwide. There have been seven protests to date. #SurvivingRKelly

Jerhonda broke her NDA with R Kelly and spoke about her abuse. Media attention is not given to the Black girls and women. She says: "Nobody cares about the Black women who speak out, especially the Black community." #SurvivingRKelly

May 2018: R Kelly is sued by Faith Rodgers, who met him when she was 19. She alleges he gave her a STD and sexually assaulted her. She met him in March 2017 and was under his influence for about a year. She says their sex was "consensual through intimidation." #SurvivingRKelly

December 2017: Faith was told by R Kelly about "the girls." Faith meets Joycelyn Savage in another hotel room. Faith says that Joycelyn was brainwashed, but won't call her kidnapped. #SurvivingRKelly

Faith left R Kelly in February 2018 and later contacted Joycelyn's parents. Joycelyn's father told Faith that Joycelyn had an incurable STD from R Kelly. Faith took a blood test and learned she had herpes. R Kelly denies the allegation. #SurvivingRKelly

Coachella 2018: Vince Staples makes a statement about R Kelly being a child molester. Chance the Rapper made a song with R Kelly and later says that was a mistake. Tarana Burke compelled Tom Joyner to stop playing R Kelly's music. #SurvivingRKelly

May 2018: #TimesUp stands in solidarity with #MuteRKelly. Spotify drops R Kelly from its playlists and recommendations, but not from its platform fully. A Chicago concert was canceled. #SurvivngRKelly

Azriel's parents learn that Azriel was sexually abused by R Kelly on their first meeting in 2015 when she was 17. Her father says it makes him feel less than a man. He says R Kelly's blueprint is the same as a pimp. In May 2018, they go to Chicago to find her. #SurvivingRKelly

Azriel's parents attempt a wellness check in Chicago with the police. Remember that R Kelly has an informant(s) with the cops who told them upon arrival that they don't have the legal authority to bust down the door. #SurvivingRKelly

Chicago PD was unable to legally enter the Chicago studio to see if the girl Azriel's parents saw fleetingly from the window was their daughter. They have not seen Azriel in nearly three years. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly called Wendy Williams and told her he would answer all of her questions confidentially. He told her that he liked "petite, young women." Shortly after, R Kelly dropped "I Admit," a 19 minute song. #SurvivingRKelly

R Kelly has yet to respond to Faith Rodger's lawsuit. He denies any wrongdoing and calls the allegations "a greedy, conscious and malicious conspiracy to demean him, his family and the women with whom he spends his time." #SurvivingRKelly

Dominique Gardner returned to R Kelly three days after her rescue, but is now back with her mother Michelle, and is reacclimating to life after escaping R Kelly. Kitti Jones has published a book that was optioned to be made into a film. #SurvivingRKelly

Andrea Kelly continues to raise her children on her own. She has released a video memoir and is speaking to women across the country, raising awareness about domestic violence. #SurvivingRKelly

The only communication Joycelyn Savage has had w/ her parents has been through TMZ. In 2016, her parents started a hotline for other R Kelly victims.

Azriel Clary has not been seen by her parents since returning home for her high school graduation in June 2016. #SurvivingRKelly

Thanks for watching the six-part docuseries #SurvivingRKelly on @lifetimetv. If you missed any of the episodes, check your local listings as they will be replayed. If it is on your heart to do something, there are constructive things that can be done.

Reminder: what we saw these last three nights on #SurvivingRKelly were the girls & women who were able to come forward. We have no idea how many women R Kelly has abused in total &, in fact, how many he is still abusing. Yet w/ all that we've seen, some people are still doubtful.