Skip to content
July 10, 2026
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Whatsapp

Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation

The most credible news source in Barbados

Advertising with CBC

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Whatsapp

Categories

Advertise Barbadiana Business Caribbean News Carousel casino Channel 8 Community Covid-19 News Entertainment News Health In Memoeiam International News Lifestyle Local News News Newsbeat Notices Obituaries Politics Regional News Science Soca Showdown Sports Stories Tech Technology Tourism Trending Uncategorized Weather We Gatherin' 2025 World

Tags

Barbados Barbados Labour Party Barbados Meteorological Services Barbados Police Service Caribbean CARICOM China Court COVID-19 COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 related death COVID-19 Vaccination COVID-19 vaccine cricket crime Dashboard Death Deaths Donald Trump education Election football Forecast Gaza Guyana Haiti Hamas Israel Israel-Hamas war Jamaica Met Office police Police Investigation Queen Elizabeth Hospital Russia shooting Tourism Trinidad and Tobago Ukraine United States Vaccination vaccinations Weather West Indies West Indies Cricket
Primary Menu
  • News
    • Local News
    • Regional
    • International
    • Business
    • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Weather
  • Events
    • Live Events
  • Radio
    • 98.1 The One
      • LIVE Radio
    • Vibe 94.7 FM
      • LIVE Radio
    • Q100.7 FM
      • LIVE Radio
  • TV 8
    • TV Guide
  • MCTV
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
LIVE TV
  • Home
  • News
  • Entertainment News
  • Testimony from former R. Kelly girlfriend gives window into life together

Testimony from former R. Kelly girlfriend gives window into life together

August 25, 2021
Zazeannah Walker Published: August 25, 2021 | Updated: March 14, 2024 5 minutes read
R-Kelly-Court-Trial

Editor’s note: This story contains graphic language used in court testimony.

A woman who once publicly defended R. Kelly against allegations of abuse as one of his “girlfriends” continued testifying anonymously against the singer Tuesday, describing their volatile relationship and what it was like being one of his multiple live-in girlfriends.

Wishing to be identified only as “Jane,” the woman testified Monday that she was a 17-year-old high schooler who dreamed of becoming an R&B recording artist when she met Kelly in 2015. She told the court he promised to help her in her career, only to sexually abuse her.

Jane is the eighth witness to testify in the federal case against Kelly at his trial, which began last week in Brooklyn. Kelly faces racketeering and sex trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.

She testified she spent five years with the singer as one of his “girlfriends” who lived and traveled with him.

Jane testified she and other girlfriends were expected to address Kelly as “Daddy;” that she would face “punishments” including spankings, beatings and being forced to make humiliating videos if she disobeyed him; and that he controlled what she was allowed to talk about with her family, friends and even the other women in his inner circle.

An attorney for Kelly had no comment on Jane’s testimony Tuesday.

Life as a girlfriend

In 2015, Jane said, she moved in with Kelly and learned he was simultaneously living with other women.

“I eventually learned that we were actually all living together,” Jane testified. “He (Kelly) told me to listen to whatever they said because it was basically coming from him.”

Kelly instructed the women not to discuss certain topics, including their lives before meeting the singer, their families or their individual, intimate relationships with Kelly, Jane testified. They could talk about things like hair, nails and TV shows.

“If it was anything outside of that, we would get in trouble,” Jane testified.

The women were expected to follow “rules,” Jane testified, that included calling Kelly “Daddy,” asking for permission to leave their rooms, and wearing baggy clothing.

Getting in trouble meant that Kelly would come up with a punishment for a girlfriend, which could include writing him handwritten apology letters or recording humiliating videos, she testified. Jane told jurors Monday that Kelly once made her eat feces and smear it on her face for a video as punishment.

One day, Jane said, she admitted to Kelly that she had discussed details of her and Kelly’s intimate relationship with his other girlfriends and Kelly told her that, as a punishment, she would have to have sex with a male known as “Nephew.”

“He wanted me to please Nephew the same way I would please him,” Jane testified.

When asked by Assistant US Attorney Elizabeth Geddes whether Jane wanted to have sexual contact with Nephew, Jane responded “Never.”

But Kelly’s attorney Deveraux Cannick pressed Jane repeatedly during cross-examination Tuesday on why she “stayed” with Kelly.

“You could have gone home, am I correct?” Cannick asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

Sarah Vinson, a forensic psychiatrist, told CNN it is often difficult for people who are in abusive relationships to leave.

“It’s harder for her to see that when this man is making decisions on details of her life — details like what she can wear and when she can go to the bathroom,” Vinson said. “When you’re financially dependent on somebody and when that person has systematically weakened all of your other relationships in your life and isolated you … it can be hard to recognize it and change your circumstance.”

Allegations about family

Jane also testified Tuesday that during her five years as one of Kelly’s girlfriends, she eventually was not allowed to talk to her parents about her well-being and he would often be in the room when she spoke to them, or would direct her on what she could tell them in text messages.

Jane testified that Kelly told her and his other girlfriends that they were “worthless” to their parents and “did not mean anything to them.”

“He would basically say that they had sold us to him and they didn’t care about us,” Jane testified.

During cross-examination, Cannick painted Jane’s parents as a couple who wanted their daughter to exploit her relationship with the singer, saying both parents even tried to work for Kelly and submitted multiple business proposals to the singer.

CNN has reached out to Jane’s parents for comment on the allegations.

Jane testified that in the weeks before the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” was released in January 2019, Kelly told her and other girlfriends that information in the series was “false” and that he had his remaining girlfriends practice answering interview questions with the “proper” answers. Jane testified that the “proper” answers were not always truthful.

For example, Jane told the court she was one of the two girlfriends who sat down with Kelly for an interview with CBS’s Gayle King, who pressed the singer and his girlfriends on allegations of abuse.

“I was not having sex with him at 17,” Jane said in the interview with King in March 2019.

Despite Jane having spoken publicly for the interview, CNN is abiding by her wish not to be named publicly in her testimony.

When Kelly was arrested on federal charges in July 2019 and kept detained until trial, Jane said she finally decided to leave Kelly, which she did that October. She agreed to meet with prosecutors in January 2020.

Looking back at her five-year relationship with Kelly, Jane testified she now calls the relationship abusive and that Kelly’s promise to help further her music career never came to fruition.

Cannick countered her claim, saying in court that Kelly told Jane, “You weren’t pulling your weight as far as your music career.”

Post navigation

Previous: Series jinx continues as West Indies crumble
Next: Severance payments coming

Related Stories

stray cats
1 minute read

A1Stray Cats Calypso Tent unveils 2026 season offerings

admin July 9, 2026
Bonnie-Tyler-2024-Madrid-Spain-BY-Aldara-Zarraoa--Redferns--Getty-Images-via-CNN-Newsource-
2 minutes read

Bonnie Tyler, known for hit song ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’ dies

admin July 9, 2026
Junior-Kadooment-launch-2026-
1 minute read

Junior Kadooment launched for 2026

admin July 8, 2026
PAND
1 minute read

Thousands gather for Republic Bank Pandemonium

admin July 5, 2026
Scotiabank-Junior Soca-Monarch-Calypso-2026-
1 minute read

Junior Calypso and Soca finalists announced

admin June 30, 2026
2026-Carter-s-Shining-Stars-Calypso-Tent-
1 minute read

Carter’s Shining Stars opens for Crop Over 2026

admin June 29, 2026

Regional News

Major housing development planned for St. Philip GROUND BREAKING 1

Major housing development planned for St. Philip

July 10, 2026
St. George man’s home destroyed by fallen tree DOWN TREE 2

St. George man’s home destroyed by fallen tree

July 10, 2026
Summer internship programme gives students Government work experience NEW INTERNS 3

Summer internship programme gives students Government work experience

July 10, 2026
Principal encourages HC graduates to embrace lifelong learning HC GRAUDATES 4

Principal encourages HC graduates to embrace lifelong learning

July 10, 2026
CBC NewsNIght Promo
Advertise with CBC. Contact at Tel: 1 (246) 467-5400 or marketing@cbc.bb
Subscribe to CBC WhatsApp
Subscribe to CBC WhatsApp

Most Viewed News

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake shakes Barbados earth quake 1

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake shakes Barbados

June 5, 2026
Barbadians being urged not to kill centipedes centipiede 2

Barbadians being urged not to kill centipedes

November 18, 2025
Father mourns second son killed by the gun Andy-Robinson-Lyle-Robinson-SHooting-death- 3

Father mourns second son killed by the gun

April 20, 2026
US suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries including Barbados us_visa_information 4

US suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries including Barbados

January 14, 2026
Police probing unnatural death of English visitor in St. James police car-Stock-Photo- 5

Police probing unnatural death of English visitor in St. James

January 24, 2026
Rules-based order critical for small states, says PM Mottley mia positon 6

Rules-based order critical for small states, says PM Mottley

January 3, 2026
DLP Leader did not vote in today’s election Ralph-Thorne-Democratic-Labour-Party-Election-Barbados- 7

DLP Leader did not vote in today’s election

February 12, 2026

Tags

Barbados Barbados Labour Party Barbados Meteorological Services Barbados Police Service Caribbean CARICOM China Court COVID-19 COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 related death COVID-19 Vaccination COVID-19 vaccine cricket crime Dashboard Death Deaths Donald Trump education Election football Forecast Gaza Guyana Haiti Hamas Israel Israel-Hamas war Jamaica Met Office police Police Investigation Queen Elizabeth Hospital Russia shooting Tourism Trinidad and Tobago Ukraine United States Vaccination vaccinations Weather West Indies West Indies Cricket

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Whatsapp

You may have missed

GROUND BREAKING
1 minute read

Major housing development planned for St. Philip

admin July 10, 2026
DOWN TREE
1 minute read

St. George man’s home destroyed by fallen tree

admin July 10, 2026
NEW INTERNS
1 minute read

Summer internship programme gives students Government work experience

admin July 10, 2026
HC GRAUDATES
1 minute read

Principal encourages HC graduates to embrace lifelong learning

admin July 10, 2026

Recent Posts

  • Major housing development planned for St. Philip July 10, 2026
  • St. George man’s home destroyed by fallen tree July 10, 2026
  • Summer internship programme gives students Government work experience July 10, 2026
  • Principal encourages HC graduates to embrace lifelong learning July 10, 2026
  • Barbados bids farewell to Sir Charles Straker July 10, 2026

Tags

Barbados Barbados Labour Party Barbados Meteorological Services Barbados Police Service Caribbean CARICOM China Court COVID-19 COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 related death COVID-19 Vaccination COVID-19 vaccine cricket crime Dashboard Death Deaths Donald Trump education Election football Forecast Gaza Guyana Haiti Hamas Israel Israel-Hamas war Jamaica Met Office police Police Investigation Queen Elizabeth Hospital Russia shooting Tourism Trinidad and Tobago Ukraine United States Vaccination vaccinations Weather West Indies West Indies Cricket
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Whatsapp
Copyright © All rights reserved Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation 2026