R. Kelly May Face Jail Time Over Failing to Pay Child Support

R. Kelly could be heading to jail over his missed child support payments in the midst of his various sexual assault cases.

Kelly has been facing a barrage of sexual assault cases in recent months, as the exposure from Surviving R. Kelly heats up. While his alleged victims work to find justice through the legal system, Kelly may be in trouble from another angle. According to TMZ, Kelly could soon be headed to jail over child support.

Kelly was ordered to pay his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, $20,833 per month in child support starting in January 2009. According to court documents, the singer has fallen far behind on this schedule, and the court has had enough. A Cook County judge has found him in contempt, as Kelly now owes his ex a total of $169,996.

The judge reportedly found Kelly in contempt of court earlier this month. He now has until March 6 to pay Drea Kelly everything she is owed or else be sent to County Jail. The judge is only asking Kelly for the principal amount he owes his ex, not counting the extra costs for interest, education and health care.

There is no telling whether this case will move faster than the sexual assault cases against Kelly. He was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual assault on Friday, and he turned himself in. He pleaded not guilty. The singer spent the weekend in Cook County Jail before posting bail and walking free.

At least three of Kelly’s alleged victims are being represented by Michael Avenatti, the attorney who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her cases against President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Avenatti tweeted that Kelly had already violated the conditions of his release.

“Upon being released from jail on bond, R. Kelly promptly went to the same McDonalds that he preyed on underage girls at for years and proceeded to meet and take pictures with underage girls in violation of his bail conditions,” he wrote.

Kelly has been ordered to have no contact with girls under the age of 18 while he awaits his trial. However, a report by the Chicago Sun Times said that he went to the now-infamous McDonald’s that featured heavily in Surviving R. Kelly. He was reportedly surrounded by fans—including children—and was caught in many selfies with the excited crowd.

Surviving R. Kelly is available to stream on the Lifetime website.