Faith Rodgers Believes R. Kelly Can’t Be Rehabilitated Until He Takes Accountability

BYHayley Hynes3.6K Views
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Faith Rodgers Press Conference
Rodgers is one of the many who came forward with allegations against the musician.

At the end of September, we finally got a verdict in the R. Kelly trial that spanned six weeks — guilty. The 54-year-old is currently facing life in prison after being found in the wrong on all counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.

One of Kelly’s victims, Faith Rodgers, recently caught up with TMZ outside of The Ivy in Los Angeles to discuss the verdict.

When asked if she thinks the “I Believe I Can Fly” artists’s conviction will be overturned, Rodgers replied with a smile, “it won’t happen.”

“Do you think R. Kelly can be rehabilitated? I mean is it safe for a man like [him] to be amongst the people, ever?” the interviewer asked her.

The victim didn’t hesitate to reply, “if you take accountability, and you make change, then you can change. But if you don’t wanna take accountability then there’s never going to be any change.”

Rodgers has previously said that she would like to see Kelly “humble himself,” and during the brief interview she explained that to her, that simply means apologizing and taking accountability. She also said that even if the Chicago native does apologize, she doesn’t think that he can be rehabilitated. 

Throughout the month, Bill Cosby has been making headlines for his comments on Kelly’s conviction. The actor alleged that his friend “got railroaded” and was a victim of systemic racism throughout his trial.

When TMZ asked Rodgers if she had anything to say to her fellow Black victims that are hearing Cosby’s message, she said, “I say keep going. Keep putting your abusers in the position that they should be in. Keep putting them in jail, keep holding them accountable.”

Kelly’s sentencing is set to take place in May of next year.

Do you think that someone like R. Kelly can be successfully rehabilitated? Let us know in the comments.

[Via]


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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