R. Kelly hit rock bottom — and so have his finances.
The R&B singer has been caught in a string of legal battles after Lifetime aired the six-part docu-series Surviving R. Kelly earlier this year, outlining two decades-worth of sexual assault allegations. In addition to the court fees and the hundreds of thousands paid to his ex-wife in child support, Kelly was also sued by the landlord of his Chicago studio for over $200,000 in back rent.
His landlord won a $173,000 judgement, causing Kelly’s creditor to seize some of his bank accounts, and subpoenas were issued to Sony, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, and his other bank accounts. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Kelly’s account at Wintrust Bank was completely drained, resulting in a balance of negative $13. Additionally, over $150,000 was pulled from his Bank of America account, leaving a mere $625 to his name.
Nonetheless, Complex reports that Kelly still owes the landlord $50,000, and in an attempt to pay the remaining cost, the court is trying to get Sony to pay. Yet, Sony dropped Kelly from the label earlier this year amid the sexual assault allegations, and the company claims they don’t owe him any more money.
In addition to the rent fees, Kelly could face fines of $66,000 a day by the city of Chicago for violating various codes, including building an illegal sauna and bar inside the studio apartment he still owes rent for. This is the same apartment that was searched back in January by Chicago police after reports that the singer was holding an alleged “sex cult” there.
Last month, Kelly’s lawyer admitted that his finances were a “mess,” and the singer is attempting to get his career back up-and-running after the allegations came to light. Desperate, he took a nightclub appearance for $22,000 in Illinois, and attempted to leave the country to play a string of shows in Dubai, but was denied. Through the #MuteRKelly movement, his recent U.S. and European shows have been cancelled with the help of protesters.
Currently, Kelly is awaiting trial for 10 counts of criminal sexual abuse. He has been accused of holding a sex cult in his home, keeping women in the house against their will, and engaging in sexual activities with underage girls. Many artists spoke out against the singer and his music was pulled from various streaming platforms earlier this year.
