R. Kelly accuser says she’s been target of harassment since alleging sexual misconduct

A 21-year-old woman says she's still fearful because although he's in jail, R. Kelly's supporters are attacking her

Jan 3, 2020

Ever since she came forward to accuse R. Kelly of sexual misconduct against her, Faith Rodgers says she has been verbally and physically attacked by the R&B singer’s fans.

Rodgers, 21, discussed the singer on CBS This Morning Thursday and said even though Kelly is locked up, it hasn’t stopped the backlash. Rodgers appears in “Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning,” which premiered Thursday on Lifetime. The first part of the series aired last January on Netflix.

“If anything, it’s kind of worse since he’s in jail,” Rodgers told CBS. She appeared on the morning broadcast with her father, Pastor Charles Rodgers. “It’s a whole bunch of angry fans, so it really hasn’t gotten any better. Knowing he’s in jail, that’s just knowing he’s not hurting anybody else, but people who he hurt are still being affected.”

In the latest Kelly documentary, Rodgers alleges that Kelly video recorded them having sex without her consent and that he also gave her a STD when she was 19. Rodgers, who claims to have left Kelly after a year, has filed a lawsuit against him.

Rodgers’ father, Charles, said he often worries about his daughter’s safety.

“There’s been a lot of negativity. We often worry about Faith’s well-being, her safety,” he told CBS. “When she’s out trying to live her life, you know, many times she’s attacked verbally, she’s been attacked physically. It’s pretty traumatizing.”

Kelly was arrested last February, one month after the docuseries first ran. He faces multiple sex abuse charges in Chicago and New York. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in federal custody.

An attorney for Kelly, 52, told CBS that Faith and another woman’s accusations are unfounded.

“I have not seen the show, ‘Surviving R. Kelly Part II,’ so I do not know what lies and distortions they are planning to air. But both of these women are simply out to exploit their past connection to R. Kelly. Look at their social media, they are not victims, they are profiteers.”

Faith says she’s never been after Kelly’s money and that she would be willing to testify against him under oath in court.

“If they ask me, then I’ll do my part,” she said, adding Kelly “needs to go to jail forever. There needs to be no getting out.”