Search
Close this search box.

Gayle King Calls R. Kelly’s Guilty Verdict for Sex trafficking ‘Justice’

*Gayle King is speaking out about R. Kelly’s September sex trafficking and racketeering trial, calling his guilty verdict “justice.”

“The judge said some of the evidence was so disgusting and despicable that they wouldn’t even allow it to be played in court,” King said in an interview published Tuesday by Bustle. “Let’s just say part of the evidence involved feces. Let’s just say that. It was so stomach-churning.”

Kelly was convicted in September for racketeering and sex crimes against women, girls and boys in a federal case in Brooklyn. In opening statements, Assistant US Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez, the lead prosecutor in the case, blasted him as a “predator” who “used his money, his clout, and his public persona to hide his crimes in plain sight.”

Over several weeks, prosecutors brought more than 40 witnesses to testify about Kelly. The witnesses included women and men who described how Kelly directed them to have sex with him and each other, and how the singer obsessively took videos of every sexual encounter.

During the trial, a woman identified as Jane Doe testified in court that R. Kelly had complete control of his interview with Gayle King in 2019 for CBS. The woman said the singer would cough to direct her and another victim to support his claims that he didn’t sexually assault them.

King also interviewed Kelly at the time, who infamously exploded and erupted in tears while discussing the allegations leveled against him.

READ MORE: R. Kelly Controlled Girlfriends During Gayle King Interview: Trial Witness

“My heart aches for [the victims] because I know how painful this has been,” King told Bustle. “To us, this is a news story, but for them, this is life. And I feel sorry that for so many women, it took this long.”

After Kelly’s guilty verdict in Brooklyn, his ex-girlfriend reunited with King for the first time since their “CBS This Morning” two years ago. 

“For five years, since I was 17, I didn’t have any relationships with any other women except for the women that he had been intimate with,” said Azriel Clary, who testified against Kelly during his September trial.

“When I did that interview with you, I instantly regretted immediately how I reacted. … ‘Why am I acting like this? Why am I putting myself through all of this misery? Why am I exploiting myself for a man who has me in this position in the first place?’ And I really had to come to terms and realize that it wasn’t love. Love doesn’t hurt, you know?”

R. Kelly faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and up to life. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2022.

He is facing similar sex crimes charges in Illinois and Minnesota.

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

Sean 'Diddy' Combs being arrested - TMZ video screenshot
Suge Knight - Diddy
Oprah Winfrey (Mike Blake-Reuters via CNN Newsource)
Amber Rose - via Instagram
Jomo Jesus Thomas Suriel
Donny Hathaway - GettyImages
Sean Diddy Combs (screenshot)
Nelly - Getty
Lalah Hathaway - Malcolm Ali
Kwame Kilpatrick
Tyrese Gibson
Read More
Lizzo (Getty)
Read More
Tim Walz at 2024 DNC - screenshot
Read More
Elon Musk - Getty
Read More
Shannon Sharpe - IG screenshot
Read More
Tito Jackson
Read More
Monica and Brandy
Read More
Ghostface Killah
Read More
Altered pic of Sean Diddy Combs (center) and Kamala Harris (and Montel Williams' daughter on right)
Read More
Lori Harvey
Read More

POPULAR

Sean 'Diddy' Combs being arrested - TMZ video screenshot
Diddy's Sudden Arrest: A Life-Changing Moment Caught on Camera | WATCH-it-Happen
Suge Knight - Diddy
Don't Squat to Pee! Suge Knight Offers Jail/Prison Survival Tips to Sean Combs
Oprah Winfrey (Mike Blake-Reuters via CNN Newsource)
Here is Why Oprah Winfrey’s Latest Documentary on Her Life is Not Coming Out | VIDEO
Amber Rose - via Instagram
She's All in - Amber Rose Backs Controversial Trump Claims on Pet-Eating Immigrants | VIDEO
Jomo Jesus Thomas Suriel
Meet Jomo Jesus Thomas Suriel: The 8-Year-Old Author Transforming Children's Literature
Donny Hathaway - GettyImages
Charity Event For Suicide Lifeline Pays Well-Intended Yet Uneven Tribute To Music Legend Donny Hathaway
Sean Diddy Combs (screenshot)
Diddy IS on Suicide Watch - Attorney Claims Routine Measure for High-Profile Inmate | VIDEO
Nelly - Getty
Decades Later St. Lunatics File Lawsuit Against Nelly Over 'Country Grammar' in Royalty Dispute
Lalah Hathaway - Malcolm Ali
Lalah Hathaway WOWS L.A.’s Wiltern Theater in a Celebration of Black Musical Genius
1 2 3 8,303