Chilling report alleges singer R. Kelly is keeping women locked up, 'brainwashing' them

R. Kelly.
(Image credit: Mike Pont/Getty Images)

A disturbing investigative report by BuzzFeed News suggests that singer R. Kelly is keeping young women against their will in a kind of "cult" in which he controls everything from how they dress to what they eat. Relying on interviews with the parents of the "brainwashed" women, as well as three former members of Kelly's group, BuzzFeed News describes Kelly luring young women in with the promise of affection or mentorship, only to abuse them and keep them from contacting their families.

"[Former members of Kelly's inner circle] said six women live in properties rented by Kelly in Chicago and the Atlanta suburbs, and he controls every aspect of their lives: dictating what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in sexual encounters that he records," BuzzFeed News writes.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.