R. Kelly made Aaliyah, parents, sign NDA after annulling marriage, as seen in ‘Surviving R. Kelly’
Kelly married Aaliyah in 1994, he was 27 and she was 15.
The new season of “Surviving R. Kelly” has uncovered new, startling revelations involving the disgraced singer-songwriter. An episode of its third season revealed that Kelly had Aaliyah and her family sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) following the annulment of their marriage.
Wednesday’s episode focused on Kelly’s 2022 federal trial, according to Variety. During the trial, it uncovered allegations that the Grammy Award-winner made Aaliyah, identified as “Jane Doe #1,” sign the NDA, presented as evidence against him.
Kelly’s trial and subsequent conviction are the focus of the final two-part installment of the docuseries, depicting Kelly’s longtime habit of abusing women. Kelly and Aaliyah were married in August 1994 when they were 27 and 15 years old, respectively.
Aaliyah was Kelly’s teenage protégée at the time. When she was 14, he wrote and produced her debut album, 1994’s “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number.” While they downplayed public speculations that they were married, Kelly did marry Aaliyah in secret with falsified documents stating that she was 18.
The marriage was annulled in February 1995. The annulment was forced by Aaliyah’s father, according to Gem Pratts, a childhood friend and former security guard of Kelly, who spoke during the docuseries. Pratt went on to say that Kelly made a contractual agreement with Aaliyah’s parents that if the marriage was annulled, they wouldn’t press charges against him.
Details of their inappropriate relationship were mentioned in the first season of “Surviving R. Kelly.” It was alleged during an episode that Kelly confided that he impregnated Aaliyah prior to their marriage.
“Surviving R. Kelly” shined a spotlight on the longtime allegations against Kelly, and he was ultimately convicted in 2022 of sex trafficking and racketeering. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
TheGrio music writer Matthew Allen contributed to this article.
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