R. Kelly

Surviving R. Kelly, the revelatory Lifetime documentary series that has illuminated the star’s myriad horrific sex crimes, grooming, and child abuse, detailed new allegations about the end of Kelly’s unlawful marriage to the then-teenage Aaliyah. According to multiple sources in the docuseries, Aaliyah’s family agreed to an NDA after the annulment with one source saying the family promised not to press charges if Kelly sold the family the rights to his first three albums. The late “Rock the Boat” singer entered into an illegal marriage with Kelly in August 1994, when she was 15 years old and he was 27. Her parents reportedly annulled the marriage — the license of which illegally listed Aaliyah’s age as 18 — in February 1995. Because Aaliyah’s father was so angered by the events, the family agreed to signing the NDA and to avoiding legal action if Kelly sold them the rights to the albums, according to Kelly’s longtime friend and former bodyguard Gem Pratt.

Although this is not the first time reports of the NDA have surfaced, the new details come after a year of reckoning for the convicted R&B singer. In federal court last year, a Chicago jury found Kelly guilty of three counts of child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. Aaliyah was named as Jane Doe No. 1 in that trial. Last year also saw Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison in a New York court after being found guilty on all counts in a sex-crimes and racketeering case, which saw testimony from 11 accusers (six of whom were underage when the abuse began). Surviving R. Kelly’s final episodes don’t focus solely on legal agreements. Survivor Ebonié Doyle claims Kelly raped her days after his marriage to Aaliyah, forced her to sit in a sexual position for hours until he liked her posture, and pushed her down the stairs after she found a sex tape of him and Aaliyah.

Surviving R. Kelly Says Aaliyah’s Family Forced to Sign NDA