R. Kelly‘s monthly child support payments to his ex-wife, Andrea, will remain at $21,000 following a ruling Wednesday from a Chicago Cook County judge, according to CBS Chicago.
The singer appeared in court just one week after being arrested on charges of failing to pay approximately $161,000 in back child support.
Kelly sought to have the amount reduced because he is unable to work following the new sex abuse scandals that surfaced after Lifetime aired the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, which featured women detailing alleged sexual and physical abuse inflicted by the three-time Grammy winner.
“R. Kelly child support case continued to a hearing date in May,” tweeted reporter Megan Hickey. “No change in his child support payments.”
R. Kelly child support case continued to a hearing date in May. No change in his child support payments. @cbschicago
— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) March 13, 2019
Andrea was one of the accusers featured in the dream
The 52-year-old sat down with CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King last week to speak about the allegations and revealed that he has only $350,000 in the bank. In the emotional interview, Kelly said that the allegations against him have limited his access to his children.
He also said he could not tour or earn money from music after being dropped from his label and having his music pulled from radio and streaming services.
“If you can’t play a show, if you can’t go out on tour, if they’re not streaming your music anymore, obviously you’re going to have financial problems. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out,” Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg told the news outlet.
R. Kelly publicist says they’re trying to get his child support payments reduced. Says R. Kelly can’t afford current payments because he is “not working.” Said he does not have assets to sell and he rents his condo in Trump Tower. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/VKD0Ra2IYi
— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) March 13, 2019
Darryll Johnson, the disgraced singer’s publicist, spoke to the media after the closed hearing and said Kelly does not have assets to sell. He also clarified that it was a pool of “family and friends” that scraped together the $161,000 for the overdue payment.
The alleged abuse goes back more than 20 years.
The R&B singer was placed on $100,000 bond, which was paid by Valencia Love, a woman Kelly met on a cruise five months ago, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He pleaded not guilty to all counts and is due back in court on March 22.
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Christina Santi is a news and culture writer for EBONY.com. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, she considers herself a well-read, not so traditional feminist with a heavy interest in music, fashion and pop culture. Christina currently lives in New York City, where she refers to her Cuban & Jamaican descent often while writing about her experiences as a first-generation Afro-Latinx in America. She also devotes time writing personalized reading material for her tutees and turning ideas into words for streetwear brand, PUER By Noel Bronson.