R. Kelly’s Children, Their Mothers, And Relationship With Him

• R. Kelly’s Children; Joann, Jay, and Robert Kelly Jr. have an estranged relationship with him
• All R. Kelly’s children were born during his second marriage to dancer and actress Andrea Lee Kelly
• Joann Kelly and her siblings also have an interest in music, having started since they were kids

R. Kelly is a father of three children; Joann Kelly, Jay Kelly, and Robert Kelly Jr. all of whom he had during his second marriage with Andrea Kelly. The singer’s oldest child and only daughter, Joann is a singer, actress, and model. She is better known as Buku Abi.

Jay Kelly also sings and raps. He was formerly known as Jaya until he came out as transgender in 2014 and changed his name to Jay. The youngest of the three, Robert is said to be an aspiring rapper also.

R. Kelly who has faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct reportedly does not have a good relationship with his three children.

Here is All You Need to Know about R. Kelly’s Children

1. Joann Kelly 

Joann Robert Kelly was born on March 19, 1998, to Robert Sylvester Kelly and his then-wife, Andrea Kelly. Although she was named after the singer’s mother who died in 1993, Joann has come to be better known as Buku Abi.

Joann had always wanted to do music. She reportedly started writing songs at the age of 13. She chose to change her name in other to disassociate herself from her controversial family. She first started using Ariiraye but later settled for Bunu Abi.

The 26-year-old singer released her debut EP Don’t Call Me in March 2019 and it was produced by her sister, Jaah Kelly. In pursuing her musical career, she has worked with artists like SZA and several R&B millennial artists as well. Her most recent singles include, Pls Don’t and Cheers to You, Shadow. 

She has featured on the WEtv reality series Growing up Hip Hop: Atlanta alongside her mother. However, the singer recently revealed that she has been having trouble getting gigs due to her father’s reputation. Earlier in her career, Joann admitted that there were times she got opportunities due to her last name.

The singer’s father had a stellar career until he was recently convicted of sex crimes in New York City and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He is also dealing with another federal trial over charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice. Reports say he would have to face two other cases in Cook County Illinois and Minnesota.

In her personal life, R. Kelly’s daughter lost her unborn son on October 1, 2020. She made this known via a post that has been since deleted from Instagram.

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2. Jay Kelly 

R. Kelly and Andrea Kelly’s middle child was born Jaya Kelly in 2000, but officially came out as transgender in 2014 at the age of 14 and changed his name to Jay. While growing up, Jay preferred wearing men’s clothes which made him a subject of mockery in school. Before he came out publicly, he had already told his mother about his sexuality. Although he had his mother’s support, he was allegedly scared of telling his father.

Although Jay has a strained relationship with his father, it is obvious he followed in his footsteps, career-wise. His musical talents were first ignited in high school where he learned how to play the clarinet, trumpet, and also Piano.

According to reports, Jay sees music as a means of self-expression and escape for him. He released his first single Reservoir in 2014 under the name JaahBaby. His second single, Focus was released in October 2019 and it featured a guest verse from his sister.

3. Robert Kelly Jr. 

R. Kelly’s youngest son was born in 2002 despite the several challenges his mother had during the pregnancy. Just like his older siblings, Robert Jr. has also shown an interest in music. In 2017, he was seen in a music video for his school, Griffin Middle School. His mother confirmed this on Instagram when she posted a video of the 22-year-old rapping.

Of the three R. Kelly’s children, Robert Jr. is said to be the only one keeping a low profile.

Andrea Lee Kelly is the Mother of R. Kelly’s Children

As stated, R. Kelly’s children were all born after he married Andrea Lee at the age of 22 in 1996. Professionally known as Drea, Lee is the former backup dancer of R Kelly.

Before he married her, the singer was first illegally married to Aaliyah in 1994, when she was only 15. The said marriage was annulled in 1995.

The marriage between Lee and Kelly lasted 13 years. She filed a restraining order against him in 2005 after he assaulted her before filing for divorce in 2006 and it was finalized in 2009.

Following Andrea’s divorce, she went on to marry barber and R&B singer Brian McKee but the marriage crashed just after two months.

Aside from appearing on several television shows, Andrea has also starred in quite a number of films including The Big Dirty List Show: 50 Years of Sex and Music (2013), Before “I Do” (2015), and Chocolate City (2015).

R. Kelly Reportedly Doesn’t Have a Good Relationship with His Children

R. Kelly does not have a good relationship with his three children. Reports claim the disgraced singer cut communicate with his children even before he was incarcerated.

Andrea Lee revealed on The Bert Show that aside from not being in contact with his children, R. Kelly stopped paying child support when Andrea revealed he abused her during their marriage. She also added that the children now refer to him as Robert Sr.

Regarding child support, R. Kelly was arrested in March 2019 for failing to keep up with his dues for Robert Jr. and Jay. Also, he reportedly did not pay college tuition for JoAnn.

According to Baki Abi, she has heard stories about her father since she was a teenager. At a point, the singer allegedly contemplated suicide but she discovered music was the only way out for her.