This year, viewers are treated to a lot of unscripted TV dramas that successfully make the headlines for various reasons, including cheating and the death of the main cast member.
- December 25, 2019
AceShowbiz - Lifetime's docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly" became the talk of the town following its premiere on January 3. Not only viewers, but also celebrities took to social media to react to the explosive 6-part documentary that detailed testimony from women who accuse Kelly of mental, physical and sexual abuse, as well as interviews with associates and relatives of the singer. Also providing commentary in the documentary were Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, and John Legend.
Viewers praised the documentary and the women who came forward with the stories about the 51-year-old musician who has a history of sexually and physically abusing women and young girls. "Huge shoutout to lifetime for giving these African American women a platform to speak about the abuse they endured by the hands of R. Kelly. It was about time a documentary finally came out," one impressed viewer tweeted following the airing of the documentary.
Following the airing of the documentary, R. Kelly's music saw a 16 percent jump in Spotify streams. Additionally, a Facebook group named "Surviving Lies" emerged, attempting to discredit the musician's accusers as well as expose their personal information.
The biggest impact of "Surviving R. Kelly" was probably the fact that the Fulton County District Attorney's Office opened an investigation into the sexual harassment claims with ore survivors coming forward. Things continued to go south for R. Kelly as his record label blocked his new music, and artists including Celine Dion and Lady GaGa spoke against him. The 52-year-old singer was eventually arrested in July with 13 charges, including child abuse images and obstruction of justice.
