Surviving R. Kelly, the Lifetime documentary series that premiered in 2019 with its first set of episodes detailing decades of alleged sexual assault, abuse and wrongdoing by one of R&B’s biggest stars. With the second set of episodes, released in 2020, the creators focused on the cultural impact of his downfall. Now, three years after the last installation of the series, the network will share Surviving R. Kelly Part III: The Final Chapterthat captures the lasting aftermath as the disgraced singer faces criminal charges and is the subject of multiple federal and state lawsuits.
The final season will premiere as a two-night event on January 2nd and 3rd at 8 p.m. ET. The trailer for the updated documentary series sets the scene for the program, which features testimony and insights from legal experts, journalists, victims and parents of those targeted.
The first night of the documentary event will follow Azriel Clary, Kelly’s former ex-boyfriend, as she gives court testimony detailing her experience of abuse after being told to lie in an infamous 2019 interview with Gayle King. His extortion charges – for which he was convicted along with charges of sexual exploitation of a child, bribery, sex trafficking – will also be dissected during the episode.
The second night concludes the series with the voices and testimonies of dozens of victims, including new survivors who had only recently come forward. “This is something unprecedented in the history of popular music with, I believe, hundreds of victims,” says one attendee in the trailer.
In one instance, Kelly’s supporters are shown rallying behind him, his name is shown tattooed across a woman’s chest, while others chant for his freedom. The images inform a larger point when, in a voiceover, a woman applauds the “collective power of voices” as a means of bringing him down. The final moments will bring victim impact statements to the fore as survivors learn of the final verdict against their abuser.
“The little part of me that wanted him to get some help – that just went out the window,” explains another woman, as more details emerge pointing to cases of human trafficking, arson, organized crime, forced labour, coercion, among other allegations.
“Kelly will go down in music history as the worst criminal predator ever,” predicts a contestant in the clip.
