R. Kelly Reportedly Welcomes First Child With Joycelyn Savage
R. Kelly and his fiancée Joycelyn Savage have reportedly welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Ava Lee Kelly, who was conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Joycelyn Savage announced the arrival of their daughter by sharing two photos of the newborn over the weekend.
The first photo was posted on Saturday, December 17, and simply included the baby’s name along with her date of birth, December 8, 2022.
In the second post, shared on Sunday, December 18, Savage expressed her joy and love for her daughter with a heartfelt message.
She wrote, “My baby girl Ava when you were born, my whole world shined so bright. I knew that it was no longer about me anymore; it was about us. Though the world is cold, I promise to always protect you. I am so happy to be your mother & you bring me so much joy. 12.08.22.”
Neither R. Kelly nor his attorney has commented on Ava Lee Kelly’s birth.
Joycelyn Savage, who is known as one of R. Kelly’s alleged sex crime victims, released a memoir titled Love and Joy of Robert in August.
In her memoir, she revealed that she was pregnant with Kelly’s child.
However, R. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, disputed these claims in a statement to TMZ, asserting that Savage “is certainly not pregnant with R. Kelly’s child.”
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Savage responded to Bonjean’s remarks, explaining that the attorney was unaware of her IVF treatment prior to Kelly’s incarceration for sex crimes.
Savage explained, “Robert and I were doing IVF because at the time I was told I couldn’t have a baby. When he got sent to prison, we paused on it, and I had them freeze my eggs until I was ready.”
She continued, “Once his lawyer did find out, she wanted me to have an abortion because she didn’t feel that now was the time for me to have a child following the 30-year sentence.”
Savage emphasized that both she and R. Kelly had wanted to have a child for a long time.
She stated that R. Kelly was very happy about the news, but his lawyer was not supportive.
When Savage informed the lawyer that she intended to keep the baby, the lawyer expressed disapproval of her announcement.
R. Kelly is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence following his conviction on multiple counts related to racketeering and sex trafficking in September 2021.
He was also found guilty of child pornography charges by a federal jury in Chicago in September 2022.
According to reports, R. Kelly was convicted of making videotapes of himself sexually abusing his then-14-year-old goddaughter decades ago.
However, he was acquitted of other charges related to videotaping sexual contact with two other individuals in a 2002 case.
R. Kelly’s legal team has indicated plans to appeal his sentence.
During a post-sentencing press conference, Bonjean criticized the additional Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) act charge as “inappropriate.”
R. Kelly has three older children from his previous marriage to Andrea Kelly.