R. Kelly's estranged daughter posted a long message on her Instagram story Thursday addressing the sexual assault allegations surrounding her father.
Buku Abi, previously known as Joann Kelly, said it has been years since she and her two siblings have spoken to their father and that their mother, Andrea Kelly, has not seen or spoken to him in years either.
She apologized for staying silent regarding multiple women's claims against her father, writing: "The same monster you all confronting me about is my father. I am well aware of who and what he is. I grew up in that house. My choice to not speak on him and what he does is for my peace of mind."
The 20-year-old is an artist based in both Miami and Los Angeles, according to her Instagram. Her father is under legal scrutiny in two states, Georgia and Illinois, over allegations of sexual and physical abuse by multiple women.
The accusations against R. Kelly, 52, were reignited after the six hour docu-series, "Surviving R. Kelly," aired on Lifetime.
A criminal defense attorney representing R. Kelly is refuting the sexual assault allegations against the singer. "It's a bunch of disgruntled people looking for their 15 minutes of TMZ fame," attorney Steve Greenberg told CBS News' Jericka Duncan.
"I believe that all of these women did exactly what they wanted to do. Because now there's some hashtag, that's not going to change," Greenberg said, referring to the #MeToo movement.
Despite growing backlash, the singer was out in public Wednesday night, celebrating his 52nd birthday at a club in Chicago.
