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Documentary series · Lifetime

Surviving R. Kelly

American documentary television series (2019–2023)

Verification status: Imported automatically from public Wikidata and Wikipedia records; not yet reviewed by an editor. Fields we could not find are marked “Not verified”.

Research date: 2026-11-08

Synopsis

Surviving R. Kelly is an American documentary television series detailing sexual abuse allegations against American singer Robert "R." Kelly. Its first season aired on Lifetime over three nights, from January 3 to January 5, 2019. Filmmaker and music critic Dream Hampton served as executive producer together with Joel Karsberg, Jesse Daniels and Tamra Simmons. Musicians Chance the Rapper, John Legend and Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards appeared in the documentary. Its premiere episode on January 3, 2019, was Lifetime's highest-rated program in more than two years, with 2 million total viewers. It received critical acclaim, with a 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The documentary also spurred several musicians who previously collaborated with Kelly on projects, including Lady Gaga and Ciara, to condemn Kelly and remove their works with him from streaming services.

Shortly after the docuseries aired, Kelly's final record label, RCA Records, dissolved its working relationship with him and effectively ended his career. In February 2019, Kelly was arrested and charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. In June 2022, Kelly was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection with his sexual crimes.

A second season titled Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning premiered on January 2, 2020. A final season titled Surviving R. Kelly: The Final Chapter premiered on January 2, 2023.

Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Key facts

Official title
Surviving R. Kelly
Alternative titles
Not verified
Original release
2019-01-03 – 2020-01-01
Country of production
United States
Language
English
Genres
documentary television program
Seasons
1
Episodes
6
Directors
Nigel Bellis, Astral Finnie
Producers
dream hampton
Production company
Bunim/Murray Productions
Official website
https://www.mylifetime.com/shows/surviving-r-kelly
Official trailer
Not verified

Streaming

Listed service
Lifetime
Original or licensed
Original — public records list Lifetime as the original network or distributor (Lifetime).
Available now in UK
Not yet checked
Available now in Ireland
Not yet checked
Available now in US
Not yet checked
Past availability
Not verified

Episodes, events and timeline

Episode titles, summaries, running times, key events and a timeline have not been researched for this series yet. We'll add them only once they can be checked against reliable sources.

Sources