R. Kelly talks about his trans son for the first time

R. Kelly, the R&B singer famous for "Trapped in the Closet," spoke out for the first time about his son, Jay Kelly, who came out as trans last month.

When asked about the situation at the WCGI Summer Jam, R. Kelly—after calling the host out on her insensitive phrasing of the question—said that "No matter what they are or who they are, they are still your kids, you love them. You got to support them." When asked about the interview on ask.fm, Jay Kelly wrote, "I watched the video and already know he accepts me." But he has also said that his father is not particularly big part of his life. "It's not that I don't like him," Kelly said. "He made bad choices, and I don't want a relationship with him."

We're here to shed some clarity

One of our core beliefs here at Vox is that everyone needs and deserves access to the information that helps them understand the world, regardless of whether they can pay for a subscription. With the 2024 election on the horizon, more people are turning to us for clear and balanced explanations of the issues and policies at stake. We’re so grateful that we’re on track to hit 85,000 contributions to the Vox Contributions program before the end of the year, which in turn helps us keep this work free. We need to add 2,500 contributions this month to hit that goal. Will you make a contribution today to help us hit this goal and support our policy coverage? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via