On Wednesday, Jan. 9, R. Kelly celebrated his birthday at V75 Chicago, and it seemed like he wasn’t fazed by the new, deeper level of backlash that’s come since the documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” aired.
There’s footage online of the singer performing a song, puffing on a cigar and seemingly enjoying the crowd, who took photos of him. But according to TMZ, despite the calm appearance, Kelly isn’t doing so well.
In fact, he reportedly had been having panic attacks leading up to the series’ premiere, and it’s only gotten worse since then with the flood of condemnation coming his way. There was one attack that was so severe that it landed Kelly in a hospital, where he was treated and released, the report claimed.
Typically, according to what TMZ claimed was an inside source, physicians make house calls to the singer, and it’s not clear why that one panic attack sent him to the hospital. It’s also been said the cause of the attacks aren’t just from the growing backlash but due to people siding with the accusers and not him.
Meanwhile, a banner was seen being carried by an airplane over the singer’s RCA record label in California that read “RCA/SONY: Drop sexual predator R. Kelly.”
The women’s rights group UltraViolet claimed responsibility and said they stand in solidarity with the #MuteRKelly movement.
“It is long past time for RCA to dump R. Kelly and take a stand against abuse,” said UltraViolet’s chief campaigns officer Karin Roland. “Their inaction is beyond shameful. RCA can no longer pretend that R. Kelly’s music can be separated from his violent actions. Kelly uses his fame, musical talent, fortune and standing in the music industry to lure in and abuse young Black girls.”
There’s no further word in regard to Kelly’s alleged panic attacks and how frequent they are. And at this time, he hasn’t responded to the banner.
