John Legend says R. Kelly’s alleged victims ‘deserve justice’

Singer and songwriter John Legend, the only mainstream artist to participate in Lifetime’s documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” told a national TV audience Tuesday that Kelly’s alleged victims “deserve justice.”

Legend, speaking on NBC’s Today, said the documentary “inspired law enforcement to move on some things that they weren’t moving on before.”

Last week, Cook County prosecutors charged Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims, at least three of them minors. The abuse allegedly occurred between 1998 and 2010. Kelly pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released from the Cook County Jail on Monday after posting bond.

“I’m so glad that the documentary was made,” Legend said on NBC. “I’m so glad that the victims got to have their voices heard, and I think them having their voices heard, this story being retold — because it’s been told before — but I think it being retold through that medium really brought that issue to a lot of people’s attention.”

Asked what should happen to Kelly, Legend said: “Let justice play out. Obviously it’s difficult to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt in court. So we’ll see what happens, but I think his victims deserve justice.”

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