R Kelly’s lawyer has denied claims the singer’s “fiancée” Joycelyn Savage is pregnant.
The R&B singer’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, said in a statement posted to Twitter on 12 August: “There is no truth to reports that Joy is releasing a tell-all memoir and she is certainly not pregnant with R Kelly’s child. People are just insane. Carry on.”
The statement comes after one of R Kelly’s alleged victims, Savage, claimed in a “tell-all book” that she is pregnant. The book, which was released on 12 August, is titled Love and Joy of Robert and tells “the beginning of my life in Robert’s shadow, where things began to take off, and where they are currently going”.
In the 24-page e-book, Savage describes receiving an engagement ring in the post, months before she realised she was pregnant.
“Months later, I began expecting severe morning sickness and was unsure what was wrong with my body,” she wrote. “I thought I had contracted Covid-19, but the most amazing news of all was that I was expecting.
“It was a happy day but an incomplete time in my life. Today I am grateful to God for giving me the most precious gift. Robert is extremely excited about the news that I am having a baby and feel sad that Robert will not be able to be here with us.”
In July, Savage revealed in a letter to Judge Ann Donnelly, ahead of R Kelly’s 30-year prison sentencing, that she was “Robert Kelly’s fiancé[e]” and asked for a lenient sentence.
“Thank you for the opportunity to share my experiences,” Savage wrote in the letter, obtained by TMZ. “My name is Joycelyn Savage, and I’m Robert Kelly’s fiancé[e]. I’m writing this letter in support of Robert in advance of his sentencing, so I can explain to the court that I’m not the victim that the government has portrayed me to be.”
In the letter, Savage also claimed that allegations Kelly held her and other women against their will are “absolutely untrue” and “the complete opposite of who he is and what my relationship is like with Robert”.
R Kelly was recently sentenced to prison for 30 years on sex trafficking and racketteering convictions.
In a statement to TMZ, Gerald Griggs, a lawyer for Savage’s parents, said that Savage never made the engagement known to her family, nor has she ever spoken about the “possibility” of the pair becoming engaged.
Griggs also questioned the legitimacy of the pair’s alleged engagement, considering Savage didn’t testify about the relationship status under oath.
The Independent has contacted R Kelly’s representatives for comment.
