R. Kelly Finds The Wildest Supporter Who Says Black Community Failed Him

Iyanla Vanzant Apologized To R. Kelly And Said Community Elders Failed Him

Iyanla Vanzant apologized to R. Kelly on “The Jason Lee Show” over what she described as the Black community’s failure to support him before his imprisonment for sexual abuse.

The author and television personality directed her apology toward the singer while discussing the responsibilities of community elders. Her remarks focused on missed opportunities to address his personal struggles and the people who benefited financially from his career, according to Baller Alert’s account of the interview.

“Forgive me as an elder in our community not being available to support you,” Vanzant said. “Forgive me for ignoring your pain. Forgive me for abandoning you.” 

When host Jason Lee questioned whether she believed she had personally abandoned Kelly, Vanzant expanded her answer to include the broader community.

“Our entire community abandoned him. As an elder, I’m going to own it,” she said.

Vanzant also questioned why people who earned money through Kelly’s success had not done more to help with his reading difficulties. She presented those circumstances as examples of support she believed should have accompanied his commercial achievements. Those assertions represent her assessment of the people surrounding Kelly, rather than findings about what caused his criminal conduct. 

The interview appeared in an Oct. 21 post from Hollywood Unlocked, which described a broader conversation about forgiveness, grief, personal responsibility and celebrity culture. Kelly was among several public figures discussed during the episode.

Her apology comes with a substantial criminal record as its backdrop.

A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Kelly in September 2021 of racketeering and other offenses involving the exploitation of women and children. U.S. District Judge Ann M. Donnelly sentenced him to 30 years in prison in June 2022. Prosecutors said his operation depended on associates who helped facilitate the abuse. 

A separate Chicago jury convicted Kelly in September 2022 of three counts of producing child sexual abuse material and three counts of enticing a minor into sexual activity. He received a 20-year sentence in February 2023, with one year ordered to run consecutively to his New York sentence, producing a combined 31-year term. 

Vanzant’s argument places attention on opportunities she believes were missed before those prosecutions.

The court record establishes another responsibility: Kelly’s own actions toward the women and children he abused. Her appeal for compassion adds to that public conversation without changing the crimes established at trial.