R. Kelly is once again a free man. The “Pied Piper of R&B” was released from a Cook County jail on Saturday, March 9, after someone paid $161,000 in back child support to his ex-wife Drea Kelly, mother of his three children.
Kelly, 52, was jailed on Wednesday during a child support hearing at the Daley Center in Chicago. He was remanded into custody after he asked the judge to set up a payment plan. The judge declined.
A friend paid $100,000 to spring Kelly from jail last Saturday.
Cook County sheriff’s spokeswoman Sophia Ansari told CBS 2 in Chicago that she did not know who made the payment to get Kelly out of jail today.
Kelly briefly spoke to reporters after he walked out of jail.
“I promise, we will straighten this out. That is all I can say right now,” he said.
When a reporter asked him if he had anything else to say, he responded, “I love my fans.”
In his explosive sit-down interview with anchorwoman Gayle King that aired on CBS This Morning, Kelly said he only had $350,000 in his bank account.
“So many people have been stealing my money. People was connected to my account. I went into – I went by myself for the first time to a Bank of America. Didn’t know what I was doing. Didn’t know what the hell was going on,” he said.
In February, Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of three minors and an adult woman. He vehemently denied the charges during his interview with King.
At times he became agitated and aggressive as he loudly professed his innocence.
“Quit playing. Y’all quit playing. I didn’t do this stuff! This is not me. I am fighting for my f—ing life!”
HAPPENING NOW: R. Kelly has been released from jail after a Cook County sheriff's spokeswoman said someone paid $161,000 in back child support for him https://t.co/aYIcGo5zvO pic.twitter.com/3rDjmrx6IO
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 9, 2019