The father of one of R. Kelly’s girlfriends believes the embattled R&B superstar “needs to rot in that jail cell.”
The comments from Timothy Savage, father of Joycelyn Savage, came in an interview with Gayle King of “CBS This Morning,” recorded just days after Kelly was taken back into police custody over his failure to pay more than $160,000 in delinquent child support.
Kelly remained at the Cook County Jail Friday and was expected stay the night since the money had not been posted.
Timothy Savage and his wife, Jonjelyn Savage, of Atlanta, say they haven’t seen their daughter in more than two years. They’ve repeatedly said Kelly has “brainwashed” her into staying with him.
In recent days, CBS has aired portions of King’s interview with Savage and Azriel Clary, Kelly’s other girlfriend. Both women have maintained that their parents are lying and are only looking to extort money from Kelly.
Kelly said that Joycelyn Savage’s parents introduced him to her at one of his concerts in 2015. They said they were comfortable with the arrangement because Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.
Kelly said that the elder Savages, essentially, sold their daughter to him.
“What kind of father, what kind of mother, would sell they daughter to a man?” Kelly said to King. “How come it was OK for me to see them until they wasn’t getting no money from it?”
Joycelyn Savage also said that her parents’ claims are outright lies — “Especially my dad. He’s the whole master of the situation.”
“My parents definitely started this whole situation,” she said. “Basically, lying and trying to get money and bringing out all these different lies and stuff.”
Timothy Savage, however, says he has only spoken to Kelly on one occasion and the topic of money wasn’t brought up in any way.
“He said, ‘You’re going to have to wait to see your daughter. Trust the process,’” Timothy Savage recalled of his conversation with Kelly. “How can you tell another father to trust the process, but you [ranting] and raving on TV that you want to see your kids but you won’t allow me to see my own daughter?”
“How you think that makes me feel as a father?” he added, maintaining that he has never received or asked for any money from Kelly.
Darrell Johnson, Kelly’s publicist, told reporters Thursday that he had facilitated a phone call between Joycelyn Savage and her parents earlier this week. He added that he was working to organize a meeting between Joycelyn Savage and her parents in Chicago at some point next week.
Jonjelyn Savage told King that the woman she saw in the interview “is not my daughter” and that she hopes to assist her in getting therapy.
“A father’s love for his daughter will never change,” Timothy Savage said.
Meanwhile on Friday, Kelly’s ex-wife’s attorney, Alison Motta, told the Chicago Sun-Times her client was not concerned about the prospect of him spending some more time in jail.
“Ms. [Andrea] Kelly had hoped that the additional time that Robert is in custody would also provide Jocelyn Savage and Azriel Clary, and any other girls still under his control the time they needed to break whatever hold he has over them, clear their minds and escape from isolation so they can reconnect with family and friends,” Motta said.
Contributing: Andy Grimm
MORE ABOUT R. KELLY
• R. Kelly was ‘guilty as hell,’ singer’s prominent lawyer from first trial says
• Dozens already have requested to visit R. Kelly in jail, with many sending money
• R. Kelly says ex-wife has made it impossible for him to pay child support
