R. Kelly’s erratic behavior during his infamous CBS News interview with Gayle King may tell more of a story.
The interview, which was shown as part of a one-hour CBS News special Friday, saw the singer deny his allegations of sexual abuse and getting visibly emotional and “violent” at several points in the conversation.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Body language expert Patti Wood told InStyle that the singer’s actions during the interview are comparable to an “anguished little boy.”
Wood also noted how “disrespectful and frightening his voice and carriage and gestures are,” with his behavior telling its own story.
“It’s clear as he sidesteps formal interview etiquette that he is a rule breaker,” she told the outlet, citing his raised voice, subtle micro-facial cues, and “sharp-edged” gestures that increase in frequency as the interview goes on.
King was praised on social media by viewers for remaining calm throughout the interview, even when Kelly stood up and began to scream, having to be restrained by his publicist.
“You can actually see King draw back and blink multiple times,” Wood said. “She is obviously affected and upset, but she keeps barreling on, which actually shows how out of control he is.”
Wood, who according to publication specializes in deception detection, highlighted Kelly’s response to King’s question about whether he has ever held anyone against their will as a key moment in the interview.
“He does not reply immediately, instead he bridges to a non-response to the question, ‘how stupid would I have to be to do that?’ … Not answering the question directly is telling,” she said.
As for when the singer beat his chest — which she called an “alpha signal” — Wood said it is a typical response to feeling attacked, and a sign of getting ready “to fight.”
“His paralanguage is a mixture of anguish and uncontrolled anger, matched by a twisted face. Again, the face is going back-and-forth as he tries to suppress anguish and control his pain with anger and rage,” she added.
Overall, Wood concluded that while Kelly’s emotions during the conversation were real, his inability to control himself is strange.
“I need to state the obvious that this is not normal … His disregard for her and the fact that he doesn’t see or notice her, as well as of his lack of composure is in itself frightening.”
Kelly is currently in jail where he will remain until he pays over $161,000 in child support he has not paid yet. His also facing 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Photo credit: CBS News
