Gayle King on R. Kelly’s latest arrest: ‘The indictments are not a surprise to me’
After being arrested on federal child pornography charges, the 'CBS This Morning' co-host says she figured new allegations would be coming
CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King became the talk of the media back in March after her line of questioning during an exclusive interview got R. Kelly explode about allegations that he committed sex crimes against women and young girls.
Now the veteran journalist is speaking out about his latest legal woes regarding his arrest in Chicago last Thursday on federal charges of sex trafficking.
READ MORE: R. Kelly pleads not guilty, judge says no bail
U.S. attorney spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick told the Associated Press that the 13-count indictment includes charges of child pornography, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice.
When Entertainment Tonight spoke with King on Monday she said, “The indictments are not a surprise to me.”
“We’ve been hearing that they are coming for quite some time,” she explained. “He always, always, always insists that he’s innocent of all the charges. But now these are very serious charges coming from federal officials. I think that it’s a brand new ballgame. So we will see what happens.”
King says she has been in touch with Kelly’s team since his most recent arrest, and they are confident in his defense.
“We all want to know, ‘How is it going to play out?'” she tells ET. “I’ve talked to R. Kelly’s representative since he was arrested and they are still very convinced that he will be fine and that he will be proven innocent once again. They told me they’re very confident about that. So we shall see.”
Following the new charges, Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, noted in a lengthy Twitter statement that his client is looking forward “to his day in court, to the truth coming out and to the vindication from what has been an unprecedented assault by others for their own personal gain.”
READ MORE: Damon Dash says Aaliyah never spoke about R. Kelly relationship: “It was so much hurt for her”
Most importantly, Kelly is anxious to get back at “making wonderful music and perform for his legions of fans that believe in him,” Greenberg noted.
Meanwhile, King believes the singer’s emotional reaction during their one-on-one was due to “the stress” of the investigation against him following Lifetime’s controversial Surviving R. Kelly documentary.
“… My interview with R. Kelly just added to the conversation because you got to see him respond to that documentary for the first time,” King says. “I think that Surviving R. Kelly documentary was a game changer.” she notes. “R. Kelly, of course, insists that it’s all lies and it’s not true. But so many women came forward and told their story. And after that documentary aired, more women came forward and told their story.”
Kelly currently faces a slew of charges related to his alleged sexual abuses on women and girls, many of which date back decades. He has denied all accusations against him.
On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to the latest charges against him in federal court, but a judge has ordered that he remain in jail, held without bond.
