According to his personal physician of 25 years, R. Kelly knowingly infected people with herpes, which he reportedly has had since at least 2007.
Robert Sylvester Kelly, known as R. Kelly, is finally in the middle of his sex abuse trial after years of allegations and charges, as theGrio previously reported. The trial began on Wednesday, with a prosecutor declaring that he “was ‘about a predator’ who used his fame to entice girls, boys and young women before dominating and controlling them physically, sexually and psychologically.”
Now, more information is coming out of the trial, with the recent revelation that Kelly may have knowingly infected people with herpes hitting the news, per CNN.
Disgraced R&B singer Kelly has pleaded not guilty to charges of violating the Mann Act, which is an anti-sex trafficking law. “One of the underlying acts alleged against him is that he knowingly infected women with herpes, in violation of public health laws that require people who have an infectious venereal disease to notify their partners about their diagnosis,” CNN reports.
Kelly’s personal physician since 1994, Kris McGrath, appeared in Brooklyn under a subpoena, in which he detailed his time treating the singer. While McGrath revealed he suspects the singer may have had herpes as early as 2000, his test at the time came back negative. Still, due to the test often giving false-negative results, he assures he told the singer, “inform your sexual partners so they can make a decision whether or not to have sex with you.”
McGrath then revealed that Valtrex is recommended to treat herpes, and if the outbreak is more than a few times a year, it is recommended to be taken every single day. The physician shared that he had to refill the prescription for the singer so many times that he “had memorized the number to that Walgreens,” before reciting the very phone number in court.
Nicole Blank Becker, the defense attorney, reportedly “pressed” McGrath as to why he never documented an official genital herpes diagnosis for the singer.
“The earliest documentation of McGrath prescribing the herpes treatment drug, Valtrex, was in March 2007, according to a medical record that prosecutors presented in court,” CNN reports. “And the earliest documentation showing Kelly had a history of genital herpes was made in a medical record from 2011, when McGrath testified his office transitioned from paper medical records to electronic ones.”
This New York case is not the only legal storm R. Kelly is facing, theGrio previously reported. The singer has pleaded not guilty to sex-related charges in both Illinois and Minnesota.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!