Keke Palmer Speaks Candidly on Former Mentor R. Kelly's Sexual Abuse Allegations

Keke Palmer opens up about the issue on her former mentor R. Kelly's sexual abuse cases, saying she "hated talking about it."

Keke Palmer is one of those who are still in disbelief over the sexual abuse claims that came to light after the controversial documentary "Surviving R. Kelly" was released. The singer is still trying to wrap her mind around his downfall, as he was once someone very special to her.

"The whole thing was eye-opening, painful, sad, disappointing, heartbreaking."

Letting it sync in

While she made it clear that she no longer supports her former mentor, she's still trying to come to terms with the fact that the R. Kelly she knows presented himself differently to her, and that in reality, he was also preying on underage girls.

Palmer opened up about the incident when she appeared on "Watch What Happens Live" last July 7, speaking up about the incident for the first time.

A feeling of disappointment

The 25-year-old revealed that she was ultimately shocked and disappointed when she heard about the allegations thrown against her former mentor.

When host Andy Cohen asked if the news was a surprise to Keke, she said yes.

“Yes, because that’s not the side that I knew. That’s not the person that I worked with. That’s not the experience I had. Just imagine you having a great experience with someone and then you hearing all this stuff. It’s like, 'Why didn’t you show them what you showed me?' That’s the feeling that I had.”

On speaking about the issue

She also shared why she hated opening up about the topic, because he was once her friend, and people are now targeting him as their number one enemy.

“I hated talking about it because I felt like you were a friend to me but then I’m seeing you as a foe to others, and I’m hurt for them. How do I put myself in this position now? It was very sad. I think that anybody that loved him as a person probably feels that way. That's not something you want to hear about somebody that you cared for."

R. Kelly's Court Case

R. Kelly pled "not guilty" to 11 counts of sexual assault which he was charged with in a Chicago courtroom. On May 30, 2019, 11 new charges were placed against the R&B singer, but are part of the existing case against him.

The 52-year-old artist, known as Robert Kelly in real life, already faced a previous 10 charges of aggravated felonies which were filed in February for the abuse of four women.

For the charges against him, Kelly will be facing a mandatory sentence of 6-30 years.